Opposites Attract
by Wicked.Essence
Summary: Three figures cloaked in black. A city shining with the light of fire. A brick road of blue. "I'm scared," Glinda whispered to her shakily. Although she would have never dreamed she would admit it; for once Elphaba Thropp was afraid. Gelphie. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**My first Wicked fic, so don't sue me. **

**I wish I owned Wicked, but Gregory Maguire would kill me. **

**We could all dream though, right? :P**

**I would rate this T+ if I could for sexual content and language etc. Not quite M but not quite T either...**

**Consider yourself forewarned.**

**This takes place post-musical/post-Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (or first book in the series).**

**Enjoy!**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 1

Three figures cloaked in black…

A city shining with the light of fire…

A brick-clad road of blue…

One of the figures dropped her hood, revealing a beautiful woman. Her amber eyes burned fiercely into Elphaba's skin, almost as if it was made of fire itself.

But it wasn't her eyes that made Elphaba swallow her scream. Reflecting eerily off the darkness of the robe, the woman had red as ruby skin. Elphaba squeezed Glinda's hand, her breathing quickening.

"I'm scared, Elphie," the blonde whispered to her, her hushed voice shaking.

Although she never thought she would admit it; for once in her life Elphaba Thropp was afraid.

***

A strong green hand gripped the edge of the bed and a groan escaped from her lips. She was hot…and hurting. Why did it burn so much?

"Elphie?"

She turned her head back and forth, sweat glistening from the top of her brow. Her moaning was getting louder now, and she started to grit her teeth in pain. Make it stop! Anyone, for the love of Oz, _make it stop!_

"Elphie!"

She felt hands clasp on her shoulders and her brain whirred in its sleep drunken state as her head was tossed back and forth.

"Snap out of it!"

She suddenly felt an odd touch on her lips, then an abrupt sharp pain on her cheek. She opened her brown eyes, her breathing echoing loudly against the surrounding walls. It was still night.

It was just a dream…a dream.

"What the hell were you thinking, scaring me like that?"

Elphaba sat up on the bed, feeling a burning sensation run down the back of her neck and onto her back. She was covered in sweat. That explains the pain.

"Answer me, Elphaba Thropp!"

She felt another, sharper pain on the other cheek. "Ow!" she hissed.

A dainty hand touched the sore cheek. "I didn't know how else to react. You scared me."

Lips met hers as Elphaba drew the girl in for a kiss. "Oh, Glinda," she murmured, her voice muffled. Her hands ran though blonde hair. "That was some wake up call."

She felt her frown, suddenly recoiling away.

"What's wrong?" Elphaba asked her, her brown eyes narrowed with concern. She leaned her back against the headboard, trying to get a better look at the blonde though the dimness of the moonlight that shone through the nearby window.

Glinda Upland was wearing her favorite nightgown, the simple white one she wore only on special occasions. Elphaba wanted to hit herself if she wasn't already in pain. It was her birthday! Of course Glinda would remember, though the green girl always tried hard to forget the fact she was getting one year older.

Her lover must have slipped it on while she was still sleeping. Smiling a little, she recalled that she had crawled into bed earlier last evening, complaining of a headache. Glinda, of course, blamed it on the Grimmerie.

Elphaba's eyes quickly shot towards the stand next to the bed, relieved that the book was still there and not charred to pieces in the fireplace downstairs. She had studied it until her head ached, flipping through the countless purple-colored pages and reading silver lines of gobbly-gook that she didn't understand but could read nonetheless. And yet she still thirsted for more.

What was it she was looking at last? A spell…or was it something else? Her head throbbed as she tired to remember. Shaking her head, she refocused on Glinda's form in front of her.

She had said something, but Elphaba was too spaced out to take heed. It was only when she noticed her lover's blue eyes glaring at her she knew she was in trouble.

She decided to play the innocent one. "You said what, my love?"

"Don't you 'my love' me, Elphaba," Glinda said angrily, pointing her finger at the green woman's face.

Elphaba gulped. What has she done do deserve this? It's her birthday for Oz's sake-

"What's this?"

Pain seared up her arm as Glinda's hand gripped it. Green clashed with white as she kept it there, staring at Elphaba's eyes as the woman cringed.

"I would really appreciate it if you didn't do that-" growled Elphaba, her voice husky with pain.

Glinda removed her hand slowly, still staring into her face. She turned her hand around, palm-up. The faint moonlight reflection couldn't mask the obvious moisture.

"So it's just a little sweat," Elphaba started before Glinda shushed her with a finger to her lips.

"But you never sweat," the blonde said matter-of-factly. "It hurts you. What's going on? Bad night?"

"No night's bad with you, Glinda-"

"I meant a nightmare. Did you have a nightmare?" Her tone was dead serious.

Elphaba looked down. She didn't want to face those blazing, protective blue eyes. "Sort of," she mumbled.

"A vision, then?" She wiped her hand on her nightgown before cupping Elphaba's cheek with it and causing her to lift her head to look at her again. "Tell me, Elphie-"

"No, nothing like that. It was just a dream." Elphaba felt uncomfortable. She barely could recall it. All she could remember is seeing that woman…that dreadful red-skinned woman…

"A dream doesn't make you sweat, unless…" Glinda's pretty mouth turned into a coy smile as she kissed her lips and played with her raven-black hair absentmindedly. "Unless_ I_ had something to do with it."

Elphaba let out a chuckle. "It probably did."

_But your skin isn't red,_ she thought to herself bitterly. _What did I see and why does she—or it—make me shiver so? And sweat nonetheless? Maybe it _was_ a vision-_

Elphaba's thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt by Glinda's hands on her chest, pushing her back down on the bed. Her sweet scent drifted to her nostrils as she whispered in her lover's ear,

"Dry yourself up and I'll make that dream a reality."

Elphaba smiled. The red-skinned woman can wait. There was another, less ominous one waiting for her, her body aching with desire.

---

Elphaba sighed as she flipped a pancake unto a plate. She stifled a yawn, trying not to be too loud for Glinda was still sleeping in their room. The younger girl was a light-sleeper, as Elphaba discovered so last night.

Last night…

Elphaba's skin crawled with both fear and frustration. She couldn't stop thinking about that dream_—_or vision, whatever it was—even when she was making love to Glinda. She felt a little guilty, for she suspected Glinda knew she didn't give it her all as they shared their voices together last night.

She placed the plate on the small, quaint wooden table the two girls shared, next to a glass of water she had poured previously. For a moment she stopped, staring at her green hands against the brilliance of the alabaster-white plate, noticing—not for the first time_—_how different she must look compared to Glinda. She then looked at her distorted reflection in the glass of water, taking in her disheveled black hair, bags under her eyes from the worry and sleeplessness-

Her brown eyes closed in a sudden wave of sorrow and hard resentment. If indeed she had a vision, then that red-skinned woman is real, and alive. Could she have some sort of connection with her and her skin? Could she be facing the same problems as she is facing here in Oz? Is she even _real_?

"No," she said to herself aloud. "Don't think about her."

"Don't think about _who_?"

Elphaba froze and dropped the plate she was carrying, sending it clattering onto the table.

Glinda was leaning against the entrance of the stairwell, still in her nightgown. Her arms were crossed and her expression was tight. She looked at the pancake which landed half on the plate, half on the table.

"You dropped your pancake," she said.

Elphaba still didn't turn around to look to her. She grabbed her glass of water, walked stiffly back towards the fire, and started to pour batter onto the frying pan, holding it over the open flames. She held her glass of water and shakily drank from it, feeling it sear down her throat, even though it was perfectly safe for her to drink the liquid without pain.

The sizzling was all they heard for a few moments before Elphaba said,

"I made it for you. It's yours."

"I don't feel like eating."

That made Elphaba turn her head to look at her. She was surprised to find that her baby blue eyes were wet from crying. Her heart melted instantly. She set aside the hot frying pan and the glass of water on the nearby sidetable and took a few steps towards Glinda, her arms outstretched.

"What's wrong, Glinda?" she asked, her voice sounding truly sincere.

The blonde took a step back towards the stairs, still holding her brown gaze with tear-glazed eyes. "You, Elphaba. What's wrong with _you_?"

Elphaba blinked, not expecting that question, yet the little voice in her head murmured _I told you so_. She clenched her fists in frustration. _I should tell her—but will she get worried? _

Staring into those eyes she confirmed it.

—_of course she will. She's Glinda._

"Tell me, Elphie, and I promise I won't get mad." Her voice was trembling. Elphaba wanted so bad to reach out and hold her, but something told her now wasn't the right time.

"What do you mean?" she asked instead.

Glinda closed her eyes and put two fingers on her temple, chuckling to herself. "You don't have to hide it anymore. Who is he-" her voice cracked, "or she?"

"Oh no, Glinda!" Elphaba couldn't take it anymore and swept the blonde in her arms, glad that she didn't protest against her grip. "It's nothing like that. Nothing like that at all." She buried her face in the mess of blonde hair as Glinda did the same with her raven-colored hair.

"Then what is it?" she bawled, her voice muffled against Elphaba's shoulder. "What's distracting you so much—even from me?"

Elphaba dared not to flinch as Glinda's tears seared through her skin. She reluctantly backed away and settled for gripping her shoulders as tightly as she could without bruising the girl. Glinda's eyes met hers, tears making them a blurry mass of blue.

"I_ did_ have a vision last night, Glinda," Elphaba confessed. "It was horrible." Her shoulders sagged, as if they had been holding an incredible weight that had just been lifted off.

Glinda wiped the tears in her eyes with a swipe from her back hand. "W-why didn't you tell me? We could have talked instead of-"

Elphaba silenced her with an abrupt, yet tender kiss. "I won't regret your love for a stupid vision, Glinda," she whispered when they parted. "You are the love of my life. I didn't want to worry you with my problems-"

"_Your_ problems are_ my_ problems, Elphie,"

Elphaba smiled. Glinda was using her pet name again. That was good.

"-and no matter what, now that we're a couple, we have to share those problems together. Remember, Elphaba? Dreams the way we planned them?"

"If we work in tandem." Elphaba closed her eyes as she murmured those familiar words. "I know, I know, Glinda, but-"

Glinda silenced her protest with a quick peck on the lips. "No ifs, ands or buts about this, Elphie. This is very serious matter. I love you and no matter whatever you tell me I will still worry about you like a desperate housewife waiting for her husband to come home."

Elphaba's mouth turned into a crooked smile. "No pun intended?"

"Of course I intended it, Elphie." Glinda giggled, and then abruptly turned serious again. "We're in this together, through wind, through rain, through visions, through _anything_."

"Even desire?" Elphaba got closer to her and kissed her on the lips. "Even passion?" Softly she nipped at the base of her neck, causing the blonde to shiver involuntarily.

"I could live with some of that," Glinda half murmured, half moaned. She backed away; dragging Elphaba with her by the collar of her nightshirt as the woman lovingly gave her kisses on her neck. She leaned back against the side table and wrapped her arms around Elphaba's neck, finally capturing her lips in a tight embrace.

"I love you too," Elphaba whispered in her ear as ever so carefully she pushed her further and further down the edge of the table until Glinda was able to lift herself on top of it and wrap her legs around Elphaba's waist as their kissing tug-a-war raged on.

Glinda let out a low moan as Elphaba tickled her ear with her tongue. She laughed and answered with a nip of her own_—_careful so it didn't burn_—_on the green woman's neck. She continued further down until Elphaba gave a small groan and gripped her hair in a fit of passion.

Glinda abruptly stopped. She raised her head to look at her lover's brown eyes full of desire for her. She smiled as she saw her frown in mock disappointment.

"Why'd you stop?" moaned Elphaba, her voice thick with lust.

Glinda chuckled and twirled a strand of raven-black hair between her fingers. "I just wanted to say happy birthday, sweetie."

Elphaba smiled and kissed her. "Why don't you remind me why I was born on this day anyways?"

"To love me forever and ever and ever and ever…"

Her words were drowned out as Elphaba took her lips into hers and initiated another round of tug-of-war, with their tongues as the competitors this time. Elphaba was about to hold her down for the full count until she felt a searing pain shoot up her arm. She cried out and removed her green hand from the surface of the table. It was wet from the water that was spilled from the cup that was there earlier. Glinda must have knocked it over when she made her way on top of the table.

The blonde's eyes opened wide as she scrambled for a towel, which hung conveniently nearby from a handmade hook for these kinds of situations—cooking-wise, anyhow.

"Dry it off, dry it off," she said breathlessly as Elphaba grabbed the towel from her and started to wipe her hand quickly, hissing in pain. She tossed aside the white cloth as she reached for Glinda's lips again, but the woman shifted away from her, shaking her head.

"We can't continue like on this, Elphie," she murmured, looking down.

Elphaba looked crestfallen. "What do you mean we-"

Glinda gingerly unwrapped her legs from Elphaba's waist and swung it over her head to the other side of the table. Elphaba blinked, her head reeling from that brief flash of Glinda's bare underskirt as the woman jumped off the table. _She's wearing nothing under that thing,_ Elphaba thought dirtily, but her thoughts were interrupted as Glinda walked away from her towards the stairs.

Elphaba took a step forward, not sure what to do.

Glinda rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "This is where you follow me seductively and I gasp and fall into your arms as you lead me to the bed." She waggled her eyebrows as Elphaba smiled, getting the point.

She tried her best to walk as seductively as she could towards the blonde. She slipped a hand behind her back as Glinda gasped_—_a little too realistically for this kind of acting, Elphaba guessed_—_and fell back into the strong arms of her lover, who held her bride-style.

"Do I get my birthday present now, Glinda the Good?" asked Elphaba huskily, somehow managing to hold her and kiss her lips at the same time.

Glinda abruptly grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled herself forwards for a heated kiss. Elphaba kept her legs steady, but she knew she would buckle if they didn't get to the bedroom soon.

"You can call me Glinda the Naughty for today," the blonde growled flirtatiously. She could feel Elphaba's heart beat against her almost bare skin as she laughed.

"I like the sound of that!" Elphaba said, licking her lips as if she was hungry. "Forget pancakes! I've got Glinda the Naughty for breakfast today!"

"Now that you got a sneak preview of your present _—_or breakfast if you'd rather," Glinda purred, amused by Elphaba's very suggestive comment. "You can carry her to the bed to receive it the proper way."

Elphaba didn't waste any time as she half ran half stumbled up the stairs, through the doors to their bedroom and towards the bed. Glinda slithered out of her arms and crawled towards the headboard, looking back at Elphaba, her head cocked to the side in a cutesy fashion. She batted her eyes and let a strap of her night gown fall just the tiniest bit down her white-skinned shoulder, riling Elphaba a bit more than she should have.

"Now you get to open the present," said Glinda, a bit breathless as Elphaba crawled on top of her, the green woman's long raven-black hair soon surrounding the lover's faces as they kissed passionately.

Suddenly Elphaba felt eyes staring at them. Her mind was so clouded with lust she barely noticed it, but as Glinda ran her fingers of one hand through her silky black hair and brought her green hand to her chest with the other; Elphaba felt it again.

"What?" asked Glinda, her voice muffled as she nipped and kissed Elphaba's neck, noticing her sudden hesitation.

"N-nothing." _If it's some pervert at the window I swear I'll kick that bastard's-_

The eyes again. Even in her anger and annoyance, Elphaba couldn't bear to turn around and look, not when her lover's this submissive to her, this-

That's when Glinda screamed.

And not out of passion.

* * *

**Did that get your attention? Good. **

**Chapter 2 coming soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here the second chapter!**

**Enjoy~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 2

"_Get out!"_

Glinda's scream rang in Elphaba's ears as the woman shrank into her, trying to hide her face from whoever it was that was behind them.

Elphaba turned around, her brown eyes blazing in anger. She knew she had felt eyes, but she thought she had just been imagining it. The figure was at the foot of their bed and she couldn't tell who it was because of the hood that covered his—or her—face.

"Who the hell are you?" she roared, turning around and extending her arms, shielding Glinda from the stranger's sight.

"Have patience," the figure whispered. So it was a woman.

"_Get out of our house!"_ Elphaba snarled. Her shirt was half-unbuttoned and her bra showed, but she couldn't have cared less.

The figure remained motionless as she took in the apparent atmosphere. "Well, this is awkward."

Elphaba clenched her fists. She felt Glinda shivering behind her and she held out a green hand to her, feeling her fingers as their hands twined together for reassurance. She glared at the black cloaked woman, her brown eyes blazing in her fury.

"Show yourself!" Her voice was aggressive as she shouted at the newcomer.

Instead of complying with Elphaba's simple, yet rude request, the stranger strode forward towards the girls' nightstand. Elphaba pressed herself against Glinda protectively.

"Don't come any closer! I swear I'm stronger than I look!" Her mind suddenly whirred with spells and defensive techniques she learned throughout her short life.

She then heard Glinda murmur shakily, "My wand, where's my wand? Elphie, where's my wand?" Her hand rose in a higher pitch as the stranger appeared standing right at the edge of the bed where they lay.

"_I said-"_

Elphaba's words where cut off by the newcomer's strange whisper,

"I found it! Yes, I found it!" Her back was to Elphaba and she was frustrated when the woman pulled back her hood. She still couldn't see her face. The woman's hair was long and auburn-colored and it tumbled from the hood onto her shoulders and back like a lion's mane.

"Illuminos eleka zyntos!"

The woman's strange words made Elphaba catch her breath. She understood them. She didn't know how, but she understood them as if it was a language she spoke every day. It was an illuminating spell. A light erupted from the woman's index finger.

"I found my wand," Glinda whispered to Elphaba. "It was under one of the pillows. Tell me when you want me to zap her out of here."

The woman was too intent on whatever she was intent on to noticed Elphaba and Glinda's exchange of words. The light swayed as she moved her hand.

"Put that away, Glinda, I don't think-"

"Are you serious?" the blonde's voice came out a harsh hiss. "You can't do magic without the Grimmerie!"

"Maybe I can," Elphaba whispered, her hands starting to twist in the air as she tried to conjure up the words in her mind. She concentrated on the newcomer's back, murmuring: "Renti idmun natum, uh, prien-"

"Don't you dare!"

The stranger's cry made Elphaba stop her chanting mid-syllable.

"This Grimmerie has taught you a lot, green woman. But not quite enough. If you truly are a witch, you must know this book inside and out."

The woman turned around and Elphaba's heart skipped a beat.

"What are you staring at?"

Elphaba shook her head, but she wasn't going crazy. The stranger's skin was ruby red.

***

"Y-you…" Elphaba stammered.

The stranger rolled her amber eyes.

Elphaba went slack jawed, her eyes bulging. She shook her head and leaned backward into Glinda. The blonde let out a cough as she pushed against her back.

"You're squishing me, Elphie." Then she noticed the red-skinned woman and her mouth dropped open with a 'pop'. "Oh my…"

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?" the woman growled at Elphaba. "What is it?" She was holding the Grimmerie in one hand and the other had the index finger with the bulb of light, illuminating the pages in the dim atmosphere. "It's because my skin is red, isn't it?"

Elphaba barely had time to respond before the woman snapped at her again.

"I don't see how you're so different, _Green_ One."

Elphaba dared to lift her chin a little higher. She separated herself from Glinda and climbed out of the bed. She ignored Glinda as she called out for her to come back to her side and she faced the stranger, narrowing her eyes in determination. She glanced at the woman's hand warily, but hardened her gaze again as she looked up to her face.

"I have a name, _Red_ One."

The light was snuffed out with a snap. "Then would you care to broaden my knowledge with it?"

"Don't, Elphie!" Glinda cried and then cupped her mouth with her hands, realizing her mistake a moment too late.

The woman raised an eyebrow at her. "Elphie?"

"Elphaba. It's…Elphaba."

The woman turned her gaze away from the green woman to look at the Grimmerie, squinting her amber eyes against the dim light. She stopped at a page with a faded pink ribbon draped over the binding. "What is this?"

"Is that my old ribbon?" Glinda queried, casting a questioning look at her lover.

Elphaba abruptly took the ancient book away from the red-skinned woman's hands, closing it shut. "This is mine."

Just as quickly the woman got it back without Elphaba realizing it was gone.

"Hey!"

The woman ignored her and flipped back to the bookmarked page. "Hmm, this is quite interesting…"

Elphaba grabbed the book again, her green hands briefly touching red. She quickly drew back, feeling a tingling where her skin brushed the stranger's.

"Very interesting." It was as if Elphaba never touched her. "My sisters would love to hear about this when I-"

Suddenly the woman's head clipped back as Elphaba punched her face, making her drop the Grimmerie onto the floor with a loud 'thump'.

"No one invades my house, threatens my girlfriend, takes my things and expects to get past me," Elphaba growled angrily at her, baring her teeth in an almost animal-like fashion.

Glinda cried out as the cloaked woman quickly got up off the ground and retaliated with her own punch to Elphaba's face.

The two women started to fight and she shakily pointed her wand to the red-skinned woman, closed her eyes and concentrated on the only defensive spell she knew.

"Bubbles."

Nothing happened.

"Bubbles!"

By this time Elphaba had herded the stranger away from harm's way as the two fought, pulling hair and throwing punches to their faces and guts.

"Damn it! _Bubbles!_"

Suddenly a massive bubble erupted from the end of Glinda's wand, slowly floated towards the two women. Glinda could only watch as the bubble made its way across the room. She jumped off the bed, but, in her haste, only succeeded in tripping herself over the array of sheets on the floor.

Her fall made Elphaba turn her head in a moment's distraction to look at her.

"Glinda?!"

A moment was all the red-skinned stranger needed.

"What am I doing fighting tooth and nail like this?" she muttered quickly. She raised her hands and pointed and Elphaba, who looked back at her with two swollen black eyes and a bleeding cut lip.

"What the f-"

Elphaba's words were cut off as a massive force blasted into her, knocking her into the opposite wall. She slumped against the hole she made, unconscious and her head bleeding profusely, the red substance running down her white shirt and green arms.

That's when the bubble finally finished its journey to the strange woman. As Glinda rushed to Elphaba's aid, the stranger was too busy to notice the sphere engulf her until it was too late. With an enraged shriek, the woman tried to push her way through the bubble's transparent wall but it was of no use. The bubble would not pop.

Glinda bent down next to Elphaba, her hands shaking and breath catching in her worry. She gently parted her lover's black hair that covered her face, revealing two black eyes, a bloody nose and a cut lip. Her eyes were closed in her deep sleep of unconsciousness and Glinda tried not to cry in both frustration and anxiety.

"Be strong," she said to herself unsteadily. "Be strong for Elphie."

One look at the blood on the woman's shirt made her want to retch, but she swallowed heavily and slipped her arms under Elphaba's armpits and half carried her, half dragged her to the bed. She barely noticed the stranger in the bubble, knowing the watery sphere will hold until she magicked it away with a wave of her wand.

She gently placed Elphaba on the untidy bed, trying hard not to look away as blood smeared onto the clean white sheets. The green woman suddenly let out a groan and clutched at her head with both hands.

"Shh, Elphie." Glinda gingerly removed Elphaba's bloody hands away from her black hair. "You'll be okay."

"What happened?" Elphaba slurred, her brown eyes opening to look into Glinda's.

"You-"

Glinda barely had a chance to explain before Elphaba tensed and hissed,

"Where is she?"

The blonde took her bloody hand into hers and shook her head. "Don't worry about her for now. Relax and I'll get you something for your head. Perhaps-"

Elphaba suddenly reached behind her head again and she groaned loudly. "I have a knot the size of a grapefruit on the back on my head. That's just great." Then she looked at her red-stained hand. "And I'm bleeding like a dying soldier."

Glinda flinched, not wanting to think about death at that moment.

Elphaba looked back into her eyes, a certain steeliness to them. "Did she do anything to you? Where is she?" she asked again.

"I'm fine, honestly. It's_ you_ who needs the help." Glinda couldn't help but wonder why her lover was still so interested in the stranger even after she almost had a concussion dealing with her. "Now let me get-"

As she moved away from the bed, Elphaba gasped. She must have spotted the massive bubble and its occupant.

"A…bubble? Glinda?"

"Don't laugh," she said simply as she walked past the bubble. The stranger looked as if she was yelling curses at her, but it was virtually soundproof from the outside world. As Glinda disappeared to get a towel for the blood—or to call for the local apothecary, Elphaba struggled to sit up, a hiss escaping from her lips at the sharp, agonizing pain that seared through her head. She peered at the bubble through the corner of her eyes, trying hard to picture the red-skinned woman through her blurry vision.

She looked absolutely furious as she was having some sort of fit, banging on the walls of the sphere. Her mouth was moving silently as if she was trying to spell cast her way out of the bubble.

_So she's a witch,_ Elphaba thought, even though it hurt to think. _Like me. She understood my words, and I did to hers. She knew about the Grimmerie. She sent me through the wall both literally and figuratively. _

_How come I have never seen her before in Oz? Does she know about me? The so-called Wicked Witch the West?_

Elphaba blinked as an ache throbbed in her ever-bleeding head. She felt disturbingly lightheaded and Glinda's form at the door was barely a silhouette as she blacked out for the second time.

***

"Her head is now fine and bandaged, but you might want to clean her up a bit. She looks like a mess."

The apothecary closed her bag with a snap as Glinda held an unconscious Elphaba's hand. The blonde dipped her head in a curt gesture of thanks.

"It's nothing, Glinda the Good," the black-clad mount said generously, waving her hand in a motion of 'it's no big deal'. "I would do anything for you girls."

Glinda smiled. The apothecary's name was Mother Ethel and she has known her for as long as Elphaba and she were in hiding. Mother Ethel was one of the only Ozians who knew they both were alive and living together in the most remote parts of Winkie Country.

And not even Mother Ethel herself could understand the relationship the two girls shared, normally advocating male-female relationships. But no matter how much she resented that, they made such a cute couple and the Mother could not help but be an assist to their secrecy.

She looked over her shoulder to the conspicuous bubble in the middle of the room and the disgruntled, crouching woman inside of it.

"Do I want to ask?" she said, raising an eyebrow at Glinda. If she hadn't thought she was crazy, Mother Ethel could've sworn the woman inside the bubble had red skin, but she shook the thought away.

"Not really," the blonde responded. "Let's just say it's a bad day."

Mother Ethel looked again at Elphaba's sleeping form and let out a 'hmph'. "You take care of her now, you hear?"

"Of course." Glinda stroked her hand lovingly across Elphaba's arm and her lover's fingers twitched in response at her touch, but stayed fast asleep.

"She's gonna wake up a little groggy and cranky, but I guess you're used to that."

"Always," Glinda giggled, shaking her head. "Don't worry; she's in very capable hands."

"I'm not worried about her," Mother Ethel murmured, gesturing to Elphaba with her hand. "I'm worried about _you_."

Glinda looked indignant. "Why should you worry about me?"

"You look like a wreck. Take a good bath and clean yourself up."

The blonde looked as if she was about to protest but Mother Ethel shook her head, stopping her. She only knew the girl too well.

"No, dear. Don't worry about the water supply. We might live in a desert, but we're not completely water deprived. Elphaba would really appreciate it if you do it."

Glinda let her hands slip away from Elphaba's and placed them on her hips as she stared at the apothecary. "And how would you know that?"

"Just do it, Glinda."

Without another word, the mount turned to leave the room, but Glinda abruptly put a hand on her shoulder. Mother Ethel turned around.

"What is it?"

Glinda looked down at the ground. "I just wanted to say thank you for coming all this way to help my Elphie. I really appreciate it."

The Mother nodded. "May the Unnamed God watch over both of you."

With another uncertain glance at the awkward bubble again, she left the room.

As Glinda heard the tell-tale clunks of the apothecary's steps down the stairs, she looked at Elphaba's battered and bruised body, closing her eyes.

"I shouldn't have let this happen."

Her eyes flew open as Elphaba spoke.

"You were awake?"

"Yup."

Glinda blinked at her. "Then why didn't you say something? Mother Ethel and I assumed you were asleep."

"I just wanted to hear your sweet voice, Glinda."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Cut the mushy crap, Elphaba. I know when you're up to something. What is it?"

Elphaba's brown eyes looked indignant, just as Glinda's had been a few moments earlier. "How can I be up to something when I'm pinned to this bed? And is it too obvious that we still have an enemy in our room?"

Glinda sighed. "Don't be dramatic."

"Dramatic? You're calling _me_ dramatic? You-"

Elphaba's words were drowned out as Glinda kissed her softly on the lips.

"Look, I'm just glad you're safe," Elphaba said after they parted.

"Me too," Glinda breathed.

"-but that doesn't change the fact that we have an uninvited guest here."

Glinda frowned and looked at the bubble. The woman had her back to them as she sat, holding her knees with her long, spindly arms.

"So?"

If Elphaba would have been able to move she would have crossed her arms. "I didn't exactly plan to spend my birthday on a bed, Glinda."

The blonde raised a brow questioningly.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. I was going to spend my birthday on a bed _anyways_, but not like this."

Glinda gave her a small smile. "Let's get you cleaned up and we'll see about that."

***

Elphaba ate her cold pancake, Glinda sitting right across from her. The blonde was also eating the cold pancake Elphaba had made for her earlier before they...switched into a more interesting focus.

The woman in the bubble stood, glaring as usual as they ate in silence. They had brought her down the stairs, somehow managing to fit the flexible bubble into the narrow stairwell as they rolled her down the steps. It was a hard and tedious process.

Elphaba picked at the pancake with her fork. "She's the one in my vision," she told Glinda, who put a forkful of pancake into her mouth.

Glinda didn't look surprised as she swallowed. "I should've guessed from the moment you said, 'Who the hell are you?'" she said sarcastically. "There was no way I could've known, Elphie. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I was busy being hurt and all," Elphaba responded dryly. "I think she's a witch."

"A witch?" That made Glinda stop chewing for a second.

Elphaba nodded, her bandaged head aching with the sudden motion. "She had used a spell against me when we fought. And why else would she want the Grimmerie?"

"She loves to read gibberish?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes at Glinda's stupid response, but decided to ignore it. "What scares me most is that she could read it."

Glinda's eyes opened wide. "She can?"

"At least I _think _she can. The way she looked at the pages seemed as if she was reading them."

"And you noticed all of this in the span of about five seconds?"

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm just curious."

"I just pay attention. Unlike someone-"

"I was too busy being _squished_, remember?" Glinda said mockingly, finishing her plate of pancake. She walked towards the washing pan near the side table and started to scrub the plate clean.

"I was just being protective," Elphaba defended herself. "It was my first impulse when I saw the woman."

"Uh-huh." Glinda hummed to herself as she scrubbed, aware of Elphaba's eyes on her back. She had changed into a simple blouse and skirt after bathing herself in the outside shower. "I am perfectly able to take care of myself, Elphie."

Elphaba looked back at her half-eaten pancake. With a sigh, she grabbed her plate, got up from the table and opened the door to the outside of the house, tossing the pancake to the ground for the birds to peck at.

"With bubbles?" she asked as she closed the door.

"Not all of us can use magic spells," Glinda mumbled. She grabbed Elphie's plate as the green woman offered it to her. She began to scrub it furiously.

Elphaba blinked in surprise at her sudden aggressiveness. "What did the china do to you to deserve that?" she asked jokingly. She then wrapped her arms around Glinda's neck, hugging her tightly.

"But you _did_ stop her," she whispered in her ear. "And if you have a way with bubbles, then for the love of Oz, bubbles it is."

She felt Glinda chuckle underneath her grip as she said,

"I know someone else I have a way with."

Elphaba let go so the blonde could stand up and face her. Quickly she wrapped her arms around Glinda's waist and kissed her on the lips.

Elphaba could almost hear the red-skinned woman groan from the bubble as she kissed Glinda.

She could hear her.

"Shit."

* * *

**Elphie has quite a potty mouth. **

**Tsk-tsk! **

**XP**

**..and there's another cliffhanger for you to hang off of until next time I update. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I apologize for the extreme lateness. :P**

**PS- I saw Wicked live. My life is now complete.**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 3

Elphaba's curse was repeated by Glinda as the blonde registered what just happened.

"How did she-"

"I don't know."

"But I thought-"

"I thought so too."

Elphaba turned around to face the red-skinned woman, who had a smug grin on her face as the bubble slowly disappeared from around her.

"I knew those spells would wear it off eventually," she said, fixing her auburn-colored hair. "Now if you two lovebirds will excuse me-"

"Hold it there!" Elphaba growled, stepping in front of the woman as she started for the fireplace. Glinda held her back by an arm, still wary of the stranger. "What do you think you are doing?"

The woman shrugged. "I'm getting out, just like you told me to."

Elphaba blinked. "How?"

"You're a witch. You should know."

Elphaba blinked again and looked at Glinda, who shook her head.

"Get out, then." Elphaba's voice was shaking with determination. "Get out before I can really show you what I can do."

"Threatening me again, Elphaba?"

"Elphie, no," Glinda warned her, pulling her back to her side.

Elphaba shook her arm out of the blonde's grip. "I'm not going to let this woman boss me around like some child!"

"It's Frynda," the red-skinned woman said.

"What?"

"That's my name. Frynda."

Elphaba raised a brow. "Why does that sound familiar?" She could swear she has heard that name before. Maybe from her days at Shiz or-

"I don't know." Frynda cocked her head to the side and shrugged. "Now that we're done with introductions, let me pass through."

Elphaba opened her mouth to say something but Frynda interrupted her.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name, miss." She was looking at Glinda.

"Glinda," the blonde replied, her voice flat.

"Glinda?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"Of course, idiot."

Frynda looked offended. "That hurt, Miss Glinda."

"I'll show you something else that hurts if you don't get your ass out of this house," Elphaba threatened her, clenching her sore fists.

"Okay then, step aside and I will. I'm done here anyways."

Elphaba obliged without a protest. Anything to get rid of the stranger. The red-skinned woman headed towards the fireplace, her black cloak flowing behind her like darkness.

"What are you doing?" Glinda asked her as she continued to walk towards the raging fire. "You'll burn yourself in the-"

The woman muttered something unintelligible to herself and disappeared into the flames.

"-fire."

***

Elphaba and Glinda stared at the spot where Frynda disappeared just a moment ago, their eyes bulging in amazement.

"How did she do that?" Glinda whispered, sounding like a little five-year old girl.

Elphaba shook her head, ignoring the ache that came afterwards. She was too shocked to respond to Glinda's question. _Did the woman use magic to go into the flames?_ She thought in wonder. _Did she-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Glinda's arms wrapping around her waist as the blonde pulled her into a hug.

"She's gone now, Elphie," Glinda said to her. "You can relax."

"No," Elphaba replied. "I can't; now that I know another witch exists. And especially a red-skinned one, for that matter." That last part was the one thing that confused her the most. _Red skin? How…?_

Glinda kept her hold tight. "You know I don't like to think of you as a witch," she said, feeling Elphaba stroke her blond curls fondly.

"I know, but that's what I am and always will be."

Glinda abruptly pulled away from her, a firm look in her pretty face. "No, Elphie. You are not a witch."

"I am."

"No, you're not."

"I am."

"No, you're-"

"Enough!" Elphaba kissed her lips, stopping her protest. "It doesn't even matter."

Glinda turned bright pink, flushed. "Whatever, Elphie. That's past us now. We don't need to relive those days anymore."

Elphaba thought she looked absolutely adorable and the corners of her mouth turned up in the beginnings of a grin.

"What are you smiling about?" Glinda asked her, a brow raised in confusion.

"Nothing. Did you know you look adorable when you're angry?"

Glinda stepped away from her, fixing her brown skirt. "Ha ha, very funny," she muttered, avoiding Elphaba's brown gaze.

"But it's true." Elphaba gave her one of her well-known pouts.

"That's not gonna work on me," Glinda said, not even looking up to see what Elphaba was doing. She knew the green woman too well.

"It always does when_ you_ do it," griped Elphaba, crossing her arms. "Okay, fine. You win."

Glinda's eyes gleamed as she looked up at Elphaba again. She was the one smiling now. "Ah-hah! Reverse psychology at its finest!"

"Ha ha, very funny," Elphaba mocked her. "Alright, I won't call myself a witch now."

"Good!"

"But that doesn't stop me from _being_ one."

"Elphie!"

Glinda smacked her sore right arm, causing her to wince in pain. She then gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry!"

"No problem," grunted Elphaba, trying to mask her pain. "That's just where the Frynda lady got me really good with a punch."

"You should sit down, you look pale."

"No, I'm fine. And a few shades lighter of green won't make much of a difference-"

Glinda frowned. "I said sit."

Elphaba sat down on the chair by the small table. "There, happy? Do I get a treat now?"

Glinda gently kissed her lips and tucked a lock of raven hair behind a green ear. "That's a good girl."

"Is that all I get?"

Elphaba pulled her in for a more passionate kiss and she gently nipped at the base of the blonde's neck. Glinda let out a giggle and responded by tugging at Elphaba's earlobe with her teeth.

The green woman felt worked up and pulled her a little closer to her chest. She felt Glinda's nails dig into her back as they kissed once more.

"Let's continue this upstairs, shall we?" Elphaba asked her, breathing on Glinda's neck, feeling her shiver involuntarily.

Glinda gave a little moan. But then she shook her head. "After what you had been through; you still want to?" she asked her, the desire in her blue eyes obvious.

"You started it."

"Hun, answer my question before I change my mind."

"I feel great, okay?" Elphaba smiled and kissed her.

Glinda giggled when they parted. "One condition."

"What do you-"

Elphaba's words were silenced as Glinda placed two fingers on her lips.

"I'll go clean up before we-"

"Oh yeah. I'll go help you-"

Glinda shook her head. "No, no. I'll go by myself."

She used that tone which made clear that Elphaba was not to argue. Grudgingly she complied, watching the blonde as she climbed up the stairs. But after a few moments her thoughts began to drift towards the strange woman again.

_Frynda…a witch named Frynda…_

As she tried to remember, her head began to throb again. Great.

_C'mon, Elphaba. You know that name from somewhere…_

Chuckling to herself, she thought:

_Could she be the Witch of the South no one's ever heard about?_

She gently shook her head, ignoring the pain that came from it. _There's no such person as the Witch of the South. I was the Witch of the West, Nessa the Witch of the East, Glinda the Witch of the North…_

She stopped her thoughts with a frustrated sigh.

_Then who the hell is this Frynda person?_

***

Elphaba was forced to stop pondering about the strange encounter when Glinda's voice floated down the stairs, calling her name.

_So fast?_ she thought as she got up from the chair and walked towards the foot of the stairs.

"Glinda?" she called, hearing her voice echo through the narrow walls of the stairwell. She shivered involuntarily when Glinda didn't answer her as quickly as she would have liked.

"I…I think you should come up here."

Her worried tone sent Elphaba running up the stairs and bursting through the door. "What's wrong-"

Glinda was kneeling near the foot of the still-messy bed, holding a frayed purple paper in her hands. She looked up at Elphaba, her blue eyes full with worry. "I swear I looked everywhere for it-"

Elphaba gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in fury.

"_She took the Grimmerie!_"

***

Far away from the Land of Oz, there was a castle. Not any normal castle, mind you, but a very…_different _castle. And in this very different castle lived two very different women.

Very different and very…_bored_.

One of them was sitting near the fireplace in the grand living quarters of the castle. The other was pacing, her black cloak twirling around her like a liquid darkness.

Her sister looked up at her from her spot near the fireplace.

"She will be here soon. Stop pacing; you'll wear a hole in the floor."

The woman didn't reply and just kept pacing, her brooding eyes locked on something in her hands. It was a crystal ball…a looking glass.

"And get rid of that ridiculous cape. You're not going anywhere."

The sister stopped and turned around to face the sitting woman. She pulled her hood back to reveal a stout faced young woman with emerald eyes. The angry light of fire reflected eerily off her yellowish skin and pale yellow hair.

"I can't See her anymore. She's gone."

"She told you it wouldn't work where she's going," the sister said matter-of-factly as she traced a blue finger across the shaggy carpet. Her skin was a sapphire blue and her hair was a stark raven-black and cropped short at her shoulders. She looked as if she was made of water itself as she looked up at her sister again and said,

"Frynda won't do something stupid, Zafryna."

"Oh yeah? I only know her _too well_."

The blue-skinned woman rolled her ice blue eyes. "Just because she's the youngest doesn't mean she can't take care of herself."

Zafryna shook her head and started to pace again, rolling the glass ball back and forth between her spindly hands. "I just don't know what's taking her so long! That spell must have taken a detour or something-"

"The spell would have worked perfectly in the fire-"

The yellow-skinned woman rolled her eyes. "I meant the spell to find the book, Bolynda. I tried my best to locate it, though my magical prowess might have not been able to-"

"Stop doubting yourself!" Bolynda shook her head and stood up from the floor, fixing her navy blue frock at the fringes. "You are such a worry-wart, Zafryna."

"And how can you be so calm and collected when your sister is out there at who-knows-where getting a book I'm not even sure exists?"

Bolynda crossed her blue arms. "It _exists_. If she knows it exists, it exists."

"_She_ is losing her mind!"

Bolynda suddenly looked angry. "Don't you dear say that about her! She might hear you!"

Zafryna raised her voice at an equally higher volume. "I think we should start thinking for ourselves for once and not let some woman direct our lives like this!"

"She's not some_ woman_-"

"She is!"

Bolynda narrowed her eyes at her sister. "If you're so against her then why did you cast the spell in the first place? Aren't you the one afraid for Frynda? Why did you let out little sister go out there _all alone_?"

Zafryna drew back, her emerald eyes smothering with anger.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" Bolynda laughed. "No wonder middle children are always the smartest! Why can't you just go with the flow and not argue with every little thing we have to do?"

_Because we don't have to do it!_

"I think you value your life too much to say that out loud."

_I'd rather think it than be killed. _

"Then why be a rebel?"

Zafryna decided to change the subject. Her sister's mind reading ability always made her uncomfortable."Do you even believe what she said?"

"About what? She says many things."

Zafryna looked at Bolynda, her eyes examining the sapphire blue skin. "About the green witch. Do you think she exists?"

Bolynda blinked her blue eyes, and then shrugged. "Hey, if _we_ do, there might be a chance _she_ might too. I wouldn't be surprised if they come in purple and pink too."

Zafryna rolled her eyes. "This isn't funny."

Bolynda shook her head and chuckled to herself. "Relax, Zafryna. She will be _fine_."

"You say that as if it was so easy like that. What if she ran into some trouble and needs our help?"

"We trained her enough to deal with most any problem," said Bolynda. "But what am I saying? _You're _the powerful sorceress. You should be the one to judge."

"You are powerful too, Bolynda."

"I'm younger than you, remember?"

"That doesn't change anything. You started training the day I did-" Zafryna was about to open her mouth to say something else but a sudden spark erupted from the fire and a black-cloaked figure melted right out of it, quickly materializing to the form of a slender woman again. Her amber eyes burned with the intensity of the fire itself as she walked towards her sisters. There was an unusual bulkiness underneath her black cloak.

"Frynda!" Zafryna called out to her and went to embrace her, but Frynda drew back, stopping her.

"What's wrong, sister?" Bolynda asked her, drawing closer to them. She then eyed the concealed bulk with an approving smile.

Frynda looked at them with a grave face. "I found it."

"That's great!" Bolynda exclaimed, clapping her hands, already knowing what it was before Frynda even said anything.

"Then why the long face?" Zafryna was more concerned for her sister than anything else as soon as she saw the bruises on the red woman's face. "Or rather the beat-up one. What happened? Tell us, will you?"

Bolynda abruptly stopped clapping, knowing instantly thanks to her mind-reading abilities. "Oh."

Frynda took a deep breath and reached underneath her cloak. She took out an ancient, leather-bound book turned gray-brown with dust and age. It was originally a handsome dark brown, but the color had dulled due to ages of wear and tear. The purple pages within it were frayed at the edges and the girls wouldn't doubt the faded silver text within it was barely legible either.

"The Grimmerie," Zafryna breathed. She then pried her eyes off the book and back towards her sister's amber gaze. "Frynda, tell me."

Bolynda looked at the oldest sister with disdain. "She-"

"No," Frynda stopped her, handing the Grimmerie to her. "I will tell her."

Zafryna raised a brow, waiting. She crossed her yellow-skinned arms in her growing impatience. "Out with it!"

"I saw the green witch...and she has a blonde girlfriend."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait...**

**X(**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 4

Elphaba was beyond angry. She was_ furious_.

Glinda stared at her nervously as the green woman fumed. "Elphie?"

Elphaba suddenly whirled around and stormed towards the dresser the two girls shared. She threw open the wooden doors and shoved through various articles of clothing.

"What are you doing?"

Elphaba ignored Glinda as she picked out her cloak, sending dust into the air from the months of disuse.

"Oh no-"

She then felt the familiar sharp pointy tip of her traveling hat. It was covered in a layer of dust as she drew it out of the closet depths, blowing on it. Without bothering to fix her hair, she placed it on her head, tipping it to the side as she always had done in the days when she was on the run from the Wizard. She shuddered at the memory.

"You're not going anywhere." Glinda gripped Elphaba's arm as she fixed the collar of her cloak.

"I need to get it back," Elphaba growled, looking around for her boots. She glanced over her shoulder towards their still untidy bed and spotted them underneath her side of the bed.

Glinda could only watch as her lover hurried across the room and reached under the bed to drag out those filthy boots. The blonde had insisted more than once that they needed a good wash, but Elphaba wouldn't have it, saying: "If they get dirty anyway, why wash them?"

Glinda would just roll her eyes, coming to the conclusion that not washing the boots saved water anyway.

"Where's my broom?" Elphaba asked as she tied the multiple laces on the boots.

Glinda's blue eyes narrowed. "You're not going anywhere," she repeated firmly.

Elphaba looked up at her, her brown eyes burning fiercely. She tied the last lace and got up from the edge of the bed. "Please understand, Glinda-"

"It's not me who needs understanding," Glinda said, "it's _you_. Can't you see you can't just waltz out there? You of all people should know that!"

"What are you talking about? I need the Grimmerie, Glinda!" Elphaba walked past the blonde, not even bothering to glance at her as she started down the stairs.

Glinda had no choice but to follow her, saying, "It's been months since anyone's seen us, Elphaba-"

"So?" She had found her broom leaning in the kitchen's far corner, tucked away from clear sight. She grabbed it, turned around and stopped just to see Glinda standing only a few inches away from her face.

"Oz thinks we're _dead_, Elphaba."

That caused Elphaba to hesitate. The blonde had a point. She then shook her head and reached a hand to caress Glinda's cheek, but the blonde drew away. Elphaba sighed heavily.

"It's about time they know the truth," Elphaba said heavily. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the magical wooden broom, who jerked in response. "The Wicked Witch of the West lives!"

"Are you _insane_?"

Elphaba gave her one of her characteristic smiles, the ones that drove her blonde love mad. "I guess I am."

"_Elphaba Thropp!_"

"I can't just let her get away with _my book_!"

Without letting Glinda have a chance to reply, Elphaba brushed past her and headed towards the kitchen door. She felt a tugging at her cloak as soon as she turned the handle. She reluctantly turned around, facing the blonde again.

Her eyes were starting to swim with tears. "Is the book really _that_ important to you?"

Elphaba gave her a nod. "Yes, but your safety is more important to me, Glinda. Stay, please."

Glinda then clenched her fists and lifted her chin, staring right into Elphaba's strong gaze. "Then I will go with you."

"No."

Elphaba's quick and firm response made her flinch. The green woman slowly shook her head and put her hand on the handle again.

"It is too dangerous for you, Glinda, I told you-"

Glinda forced herself to roll her eyes. "Elphaba, stop treating me like I'm a defenseless child!"

Elphaba gritted her teeth. She should have known Glinda would be difficult. "I'm not treating you like a-"

"That's funny," Glinda said humorlessly. "It sure_ seems_ like it."

"Glinda, please!"

"Then let me go with you!"

"No!"

"Fine."

"Fine?" Elphaba didn't know it would be that easy.

"I'll just take myself." Glinda took out her wand from her skirt pocket, figuring its end with her dainty fingers.

Elphaba was beyond herself. "What? No! Absolutely not!"

"You can't stop me."

Elphaba wanted to hit something out of pure anger. She then gave up, heaving a huge sigh. "Fine, fine! Go! But I was just looking out for your safety, you know!"

"I know," Glinda told her, pocketing the wand back into her skirt pocket. "I love you."

Elphaba grumbled something and opened the door outside. The wind hit her head on and she had to grip her hat in order to stop it from flying away. _What a horrible day to fly,_ she thought angrily. _Just my luck._

Glinda walked beside her in order to avoid her billowing black cloak.

Once they were well away from their small house, Elphaba stopped, mounting her broom. It felt uncomfortable between her legs since the last time she flew. The broom jerked a few times, not helping any at all.

"Are you coming?" Elphaba yelled to Glinda over the roaring wind. She looked hesitant, as if she was having second thoughts. "You could always go back, you know!" Elphaba offered her, her heart rising in hopes that she might agree.

"No!" Glinda said as she hurried to Elphaba's side. So much for hope.

Elphaba felt the blonde's arms tighten around her waist as she mounted the boom behind her. She gave a little hop, feeling the familiar jerk of the broom as it rose off the ground. She felt Glinda's hold tighten as they started to climb higher and higher into the sky.

The wind rocked them back and forth as Elphaba tried to find a friendly stream of air to ride through.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Glinda asked her after a few minutes.

Elphaba glanced over her shoulder to look at the blonde. "Where else? The Emerald City."

***

"A blonde girlfriend?"

Bolynda blinked in surprise. "She's a l-"

"Yes." Frynda shuddered as she recalled the memory of the two girls kissing right in front of her.

"That's disgusting."

Zafryna shot Bolynda a look. "That's not important now. What's important is that we got the Grimmerie. Let's take it to her-"

Bolynda then shook her head, gesturing to Frynda. "She wants to go back to that place."

Frynda glared at her. "Mind your own business!"

"I can't help it if I can read your mind!"

Zafryna quickly stopped their bickering with a clear of her throat. She looked at Frynda, her emerald eyes piercing through her red-colored skin.

"Why do you want to go back there? You already look like you've been through a lot."

Frynda almost forgot about her obvious bruise on her bottom jaw where Elphaba had clipped her. "It was just a skirmish. Nothing really bad."

"It was her, wasn't it?" Bolynda asked her, her clear blue eyes examining the rest of her younger sister's body.

"Yes." Frynda shook her head. "I…I just want to stay there for a little longer. That world is so different from ours. I want to learn-"

"It's too dangerous." Zafryna said. "And besides, I only had enough magical strength to bring you there and back. The Traveling spell is an energy consuming-"

"So is Seeing," Bolynda added lightly.

Frynda looked at the eldest sister, a brow raised. "You tried to See me?"

Zafryna glared at her blue-skinned sister, who shrugged innocently. "I was worried for you-"

"But I told you not to!" Frynda groaned.

"You are not one to tell me what to do or not do!" Zafryna growled. She stroked the crystal ball she was carrying with her yellow hands lovingly, as if it was her baby.

Frynda then abruptly grabbed the Grimmerie from Bolynda's hands.

"You don't understand," she said angrily to the both of them as she headed towards the door of the grand living room. "I want to see what's beyond this dreadful castle. I want to learn what's out there!"

"You're suicidal." Bolynda crossed her arms. "She will never approve."

Frynda held the Grimmerie tighter to her body as she replied, "I at least have to try."

Zafryna shook her head. "Trust your sisters, Frynda. Don't even try it."

Frynda ignored her and pushed through the door, the Grimmerie tucked under one arm as she made her way to see the Great Witch.

***

The red-skinned woman looked at the ornate handle in front of her hesitantly. _What if they are right?_ She thought in dread. _What if she won't listen to me?_

She then turned the handle quickly before she could change her mind.

"Who is it?" a strong, feminine voice came from within the room.

Frynda swallowed and answered,

"It is me, Frynda, your Highness."

"Do you have it?"

Frynda stepped inside the door and gently closed the door behind her. She then looked upon the woman in front of her. She was tall and graceful, with sweeping white hair and sharp, pale features. Her eyes were a clear gray as she looked upon the young witch. She was sitting at her ornate ruby-covered throne and her long white cloak draped over the seat and onto the floor.

Frynda bowed immediately at the sight of the magnificent woman.

"Enough with the formalities. I see you_ do_ have it. Bring it here to me."

Frynda hurriedly scurried down the red-colored carpet until she stood in front of the Great Witch. She quickly bent down on one knee and presented the Grimmerie to her.

The Great Witch smiled, her teeth a perfect row of pearly whites. She gently took the offered spell book, fingering its worn cover with delicate, alabaster white fingers.

"It's just like how I remembered it," she sighed.

Frynda kept her head bowed as the Great Witch looked at the book, hoping she would be pleased enough to listen to her request.

"A little worn through, but it's the very same one from my school days, even down to my doodles in the corners."

That's when Frynda realized the Great Witch was talking to her. She looked up at her, meeting those steely gray eyes.

"I want to send you three someday to the University I went to."

Frynda blinked. "University?"

"Yes," said the Great Witch. "Shiz University."

"I've never heard of it, your Highness."

"That's because you've been stuck in this castle for most of your life. Someday I want you three to go to the Land of Oz and study something else other than sorcery."

"Oz?"

"Where I lived before I discovered this place. And where you just traveled to in order to get this book."

"It seemed so different there."

The Great Witch laughed. "That's because it _is_!"

Frynda was confused. "Then why did you want the book, your Highness?"

"To make sure Oz still existed. To make the Wizard hasn't-"

"The Wizard?" Frynda seemed shocked. "What do you mean? There's a Wizard in the Land of Oz?"

"Not the type of Wizard you and I know. A Wonderful Wizard, or so he says."

Frynda wanted more than ever to go back to Oz. The red-skinned woman felt the hair on the back of her neck rise with the notion of this strange land.

"Enough about that. How did you get that awful bruise on your jaw?" The Great Witch seemed genuinely concerned.

Frynda once again forgot about the unsightly discoloration on her face. "I…I saw her. The green woman."

The Great Witch froze, her hands gripping the armrests of the throne. "Elphaba."

"Yes, that's her." Frynda wondered how the Great Witch knew the name, but then again, the elegant woman confused her about everything.

"She…she's alive?"

"Very much so," Frynda replied tiredly, touching the aching bruise with her hand.

"By the Named God."

Frynda looked up again at the Great Witch, who had stood up from the ruby throne. She was staring off into space, her gray eyes glazed over with some faraway memories.

"We have to get her."

The Great Witch's words surprised Frynda so much she barely noticed the woman brush past her and run towards the door, her white cloak billowing after her.

"Wait, your Highness!"

Frynda quickly stood up, picked up the Grimmerie that had been on top of the throne, and ran after the woman.

***

Elphaba found it hard to keep the broom from straying off course as they soared through the sky. She also found it hard to breathe as Glinda was crushing her lungs as she held on tight to the green woman's waist.

The blonde had her eyes squeezed shut as they brushed the tips of the clouds with the tips of their shoes. "Are we there yet?" she asked Elphaba.

Elphaba looked down at the faraway ground under them, seeing nothing but meadows and that tell-tale Yellow Brick Road that led towards the Emerald City itself. "Nope," she huffed. "Not yet."

"I think I'm getting sick," Glinda groaned.

Elphaba panicked and the broom jerked a bit. "D-don't throw up just yet!"

"I meant it figuratively," Glinda growled as she leaned her head against Elphaba's back. "I hate heights."

Elphaba smiled. "Then how can you stand to be in a bubble way up here in the sky?"

"That's different," the blonde replied matter-of-factly. "Stop talking to me. Concentrate on flying."

Elphaba shook her head at her shaky voice and stared ahead at the great expanse of blue sky before them.

After a few minutes, Glinda couldn't help herself but to talk again.

"I can't believe we're finally going to reveal ourselves to Oz."

Elphaba raised a brow. "You mean_ I_ am going to reveal myself to Oz."

"No, _us_."

"You're going to do no such thing."

Glinda became indignant. "And why not?"

"It'll be safer if it's just me. Now with this new Emperor as ruler, the people would have forgotten all about me."

"And what's so different about _me_?"

"You're _Glinda the Good_. People loved you. There's probably a statue of you somewhere in honor of your memory."

She felt Glinda give a little giggle. "Really?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." Elphaba then went straight to the point. "You'll be an attention grabber, Glinda. We don't need that right now."

"But-"

"Listen to me. I'll just be the girl in the cloak."

Glinda then gave her a poke between her ribs. "It's not like you can blend in, _green_ girl in the cloak."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I've done it before; I can do it again. Besides, the Emerald City's so green I can just camouflage myself in the walls."

Suddenly the broom jerked backwards. Both Elphaba and Glinda cried out as they were thrown backwards. Elphaba managed to keep both of her hands firmly on the handle, used to the broom's rash behavior, but she felt the more inexperienced Glinda's arms slip through her waist as she started to fall off the broom.

"_Glinda!_"

Elphaba's piercing cry ripped through her throat as her arms searched through the air, trying to grab Glinda's flailing arms. She managed to grab hold of one of the blonde's thin arms, but it was slippery with sweat. Elphaba tried hard not to cry out with pain as she let her other hand go from the broom's handle. Using her hips and legs as an anchor to the broom, she tried to heave Glinda back on the broom.

But suddenly the blonde's screaming ceased. Elphaba's heart nearly stopped but then realized Glinda just fainted out of shock. She slipped her arms under the blonde's armpits and heaved upwards, managing to place the unconscious girl in front of her, swinging her legs around in order to keep her from falling forwards.

Elphaba secured her arms around Glinda's thin waist as she grabbed the broom's handle with both of her green hands.

"I swear you're going to burn right after this," she growled at the broom under her. She could almost imagine it being smug behind those hard bristles.

She felt Glinda's body slowly lean forwards and Elphaba quickly jerked her chin into the blonde's shoulder, using her head as a brake for Glinda's momentum.

Just to add icing to the cake, her hat flew off her head as the broom surged forward into the clouds.

"Shit."

She decided to forget about it as she made the magical broom slowly descend to the ground, figuring Glinda needed a place to get over her fainting spell. Quickly she touched the earth-worn ground, sending dust into the air as her boots stomped unto the earth. She let the broom drop to the ground as she caught Glinda before she fell.

Grimacing, she managed to get her lanky arms under Glinda's back to carry her bride-style. That's when she got a chance to look at her surroundings. They were near the front porch of a small cottage-like house. Judging by her knowledge of architecture—even though Glinda was much better at it—she guessed it was Munchkin made.

She half walked, half limped towards the quaint house's front door, hoping someone was home. As she climbed the few steps towards the door, she felt Glinda stirring in her arms.

"Elphie?" she asked groggily.

"Shh," Elphaba told her as she stood in front of the door. She used her foot to gently kick at the door, as if she was knocking. She waited patiently, breathing a sigh of relief when she heard the sounds of stirring inside.

Glinda started to play with her hair, still in her half-groggy state. Elphaba rolled her eyes and watched as the door creaked open a bit. A blue eye poked out of the crack, examining the sorry pair.

"Who is it?" It was a woman.

Elphaba was about to answer when she heard something fall and break. The eye disappeared quickly and the door swayed open as whoever it was ran out of sight, yelling at the top of her lungs:

"It's her! It's her!"

Elphaba couldn't help but poke her head inside the door. She looked at the floor, noticing the shards of colored glass scattered all over. She guessed it was the remnants of a glass vase.

"What the-"

Elphaba looked up at the suddenly familiar voice. Her brown eyes opened wide with recognition and shock.

"Elphaba?

"_Boq?_"

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**=)**

* * *

Chapter 5

The doors burst open as the Great Witch made her way into the grand living room where Zafryna and Bolynda were talking amongst themselves. With confused expressions, they looked towards the lanky cloaked woman.

"Your Highness!" both of them exclaimed, quickly bowing low to the ground.

"Get up, get up!" the Great Witch ordered harshly. Frynda followed her with the Grimmerie, her face twisted in confusion.

"What's the matter, your Highness?" Bolynda asked her, noticing the anxiety in the air. The blue-skinned girl couldn't read the Great Witch's mind; the woman's thoughts were too heavily guarded for her abilities to penetrate through.

The Great Witch ignored her question. "Damn it all! I forgot the book in the throne room-"

"Here!" Frynda quickly handed her the Grimmerie without a moment's hesitation.

She took it with a curt nod and opened the book towards the middle, turning the purple pages quickly, as if she knew the entire book by memory. "I know it's on page three-hundred-and-fifty, I know it…"

The sisters waited patiently as the Great Witch searched through the book for whatever it she was looking for.

"Three-hundred-forty-nine, three-hundred-fifty-two—_what?_"

Zafryna jumped at the Witch's shriek. "What? What's wrong?"

"A page is missing! The page is gone!" the Great Witch bellowed, throwing the book down onto the floor with a harsh 'thunk'.

***

"Elphaba?"

Boq's voice rang in her head. "B-Boq, what are you doing here? I thought you were-"

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" the Munchkin man shrieked. "I thought you were _dead_!"

Elphaba shook her head and adjusted her grip on Glinda, who was staring at Boq, trying to recognize him.

"Glinda!" Boq cried out, rushing towards the blonde. "Oh, Glinda! It's me, remember?"

"Biq, is that you?" the blonde asked him as Elphaba set her down on the ground. She shakily stood up, her blue eyes hazy and unfocused.

"Boq," Boq corrected her tersely, seeing that even after all these years Glinda _still_ didn't know his name.

Glinda had to lean on Elphaba in order to keep from crashing unto the wooden floor. The green woman put her hands on her waist in order to help her stay steady.

Boq noticed this gesture, then looked at Elphaba. "Oh?"

"She fainted," Elphaba explained hastily before Boq could accuse them of anything.

"I did?" Glinda asked her.

Elphaba ignored her and stared at Boq. "Do you have someplace she could lie down for a bit?"

The Munchkin hesitated for a bit, and then nodded. "Here, follow me." He led them through the small home. Elphaba had to bow her head in order to keep her head from hitting the ceiling as she walked down the hall into a dim-lighted room. Glinda walked right behind her.

Boq showed them to a small bed in the corner by the window. It was modestly made, with a single soft pillow fluffed to perfect fluffiness.

"It's nothing much," Boq said. "We have this as a guest room, though we never use it."

Elphaba helped Glinda onto the bed, though was surprised when she started to pout.

"What?" Elphaba asked her.

"I'm not dying, Elphie," she answered her. "I feel fine."

The green woman rolled her eyes. "You nearly fell off a broom. I say you stay put."

"I say no."

"I said yes."

"I said-"

Boq cleared his throat.

Both of them quickly turned to glare at him and growl, "What?"

Boq blinked in surprise. "Um, I…"

Elphaba turned around to face him, a suspicious look coming to her brown eyes. "Weren't you made of tin last time I saw you?"

Glinda looked at him. "Oh, yeah! That's why I didn't recognize you."

The black-haired Munchkin looked a little guilty. "Y-yeah …"

Suddenly a woman appeared beside him. She was a stout, portly woman with wrinkles adorning her face and arms. She was wearing a white blouse, a red bandana around her head and an apron around her long skirt. Elphaba could tell she was the one who saw them first because of the piercing blue eyes the woman had.

"What is _she_ doing here?" she asked Boq angrily.

"They're old friends, Mother-"

"_Her?_" the woman exclaimed.

Elphaba rolled her eyes and shook her head. _Here we go again…_she thought.

"We went to Shiz together. You remember Glinda, right?"

The woman turned to smile at the blonde. "Glinda the Good! Who _doesn't_ remember you?"

Glinda gave her a forced smile as she gripped Elphaba's hand.

Boq tried hard to ignore the gesture as he cleared his throat again. "Though we all thought you were dead-"

"It was all a big misunderstanding, Boq," said Glinda. "I…faked my death."

"And so did she?" the woman asked her, pointing to Elphaba. "The Wicked Witch?"

"Stop talking like I'm not even here!" Elphaba snarled at them. "And my name is _Elphaba_, not Wicked Witch!"

The woman jumped at her rebuke, taking out a frying pan she was hiding and raising it threateningly over her head.

"_Mother_!" Boq cried out, grabbing the frying pan out of the older woman's arms.

Glinda gave Elphaba's hand a reassuring squeeze as she stood up shakily. Elphaba opened her mouth to protest, but the blonde gave her a look that made her think twice.

"Boq's mother," Glinda addressed to the old woman. "What is your name?"

"I won't give it to the likes of _her_," the woman growled, casting a death glare at the green woman's direction.

"Whatever." Glinda rolled her eyes. "Try to understand that Elphaba is _not_ wicked. She's not wicked at all."

"But she's a witch," the woman protested. "As a firm believer in the Unnamed God, I reject all evil forms of sorcery. And if it weren't for this generous woman being right here I would have killed you already, witch!"

Elphaba blinked and cast a questioning glance at Glinda. The blonde's blue eyes were glazed over in suppressed fury.

"I remember now," Glinda said, her voice tight. "I was the one that turned you back into a man, Boq."

"You remember? I thought you forgot!" Boq sounded glad. "Thanks to you I have my life back!"

Elphaba couldn't help but say, "With your darling mother?"

The woman was about to whack her straight in the face if it wasn't for Boq's restraining hands.

"Are you going to let her talk to you like that, Boq?" his mother yelled at him. "Let's kill her now!"

Though she normally wouldn't have been fazed by that kind of threat, Elphaba was a bit unnerved at the ferocity in the Munchkin woman's voice. Glinda hovered protectively by her as she said,

"Can't we all just forgive and forget?"

The woman shook her head as she continued to fight against her son's grip. "How can I forget s_he's_ the one who turned my son into tin in the first place?"

"In order to _save his life_!" Elphaba argued, clenching her fists. She looked at Boq, who had his head bowed guiltily.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Boq?" Glinda asked him, her voice shaking. "I might have rejected you in the beginning-"

Boq flinched at her mention of the major crush he had on her when they were students at Shiz University.

"-but can't we just be friends? All of us?"

Boq then looked up at her, hatred in his clear blue eyes as if a sudden realization came onto him. "You are the one who did this to me."

Glinda blinked in surprise at Boq's sudden anger directed at her. Elphaba put a hand on her shoulder protectively, her brown eyes narrowing.

"It's your fault I have no life!" the Munchkinlander yelled at the blonde. "You made me go with Nessarose in the first place! _You_ started this! _You ruined my life_!"

Elphaba felt Glinda flinch underneath her grip.

"I'm sick of your stupid charm, your stupid pretty face and especially your stupid heart! The one I've never had a chance to steal and the one I never had! You should have just let me rust out there in the rain! You gave me back life, but _what_ life? The life _you ruined_!"

Boq took a deep breath. Even his mother was silent as he shouted again at Glinda, who started to weep silently despite herself,

"Why did you even bother to help me when you—when you replaced me with what's-his-face!"

"Fiyero," Glinda whispered.

"Yeah, that asshole! That _shallow asshole_! Did you ever stop and think about who he really was? But I guess not. You were too busy being _popular _and shit like that. When I heard you died…sure I cried for a bit, but then I was glad."

Elphaba gently pushed the weeping Glinda away from the Munchkinlander. "Let's get out of here," she whispered in her ear.

But Boq wasn't finished yet. "And-and then you replace him with _her_! What a whore!"

That was Elphaba's last straw. She whipped around and punched Boq straight in the face, making him collapse on the floor in a heap. His mother barely had time to react when Elphaba shoved Glinda out of the room.

"Why did you do that?" Glinda asked her, her voice shaking with sobs as the green woman dragged her through the house by her arm.

"Nobody calls you a whore and gets away with it," the green woman growled.

"He had a right to yell at me," she sobbed. "I ruined his life!"

Elphaba abruptly turned around to face her. She grabbed her shoulders and stared into her tear-stained eyes. "You didn't ruin _anybody's_ life, Glinda. He has no right to yell at you. He's the one who should be yelled at. For one thing, he led the stupid march to kill me, and then he helped that girl steal my sister's shoes. Don't cry, Glinda. You know I hate it when you cry."

"B-but," Glinda sputtered.

"He's not willing to accept the past and he deserves the punch I gave him. He's a wussy in every sense of the word. Stop crying."

"I-I can't, Elphie!" Glinda stammered, burying her face in her hands. "I made a huge mistake."

"In resurrecting that jackass? Yeah. Big mistake."

"No," Glinda said roughly, shaking off Elphaba's hands from her shoulders. "I shouldn't have asked him to be with Nessarose at the Ozdust Ball at all. I ignored him to be with Fiyero. I _am_ a whore!"

Elphaba was appalled and quickly kissed her lips, stifling her sobs. "No!" she breathed when they parted. "You are _not_ a whore. If you are, then…then I am too."

Glinda stepped away from her. "Elphaba!"

"I was with Fiyero too, you know. I thought I loved him, but then I realized he was never the kind of man I thought he would be." Elphaba bowed her head at the memory of the dark-skinned man, one of her biggest mistakes in her life. He was the most callous and thick-headed person she had ever met. And to think she_ loved_ him at one time…

She shuddered.

"But then I realized you were the one all along," Elphaba whispered to the blonde. "He was the one who drove a dagger between our relationship."

Glinda shook her head. "But Boq-"

"Has to sit and pout it out alone. He should grow a pair and find a girlfriend he could actually have."

Glinda could not help but to smack her lover's arm. "What do you mean?"

"Back at Shiz you were pretty unattainable, Glinda. Every guy ogled you and dreamt of being with you. Including Fiyero. That bastard got you talking about engagement the moment you saw him, remember?"

Glinda flushed. "Oh yes…that was pretty embarrassing…"

"And he stole my heart before I could say 'mercy'." Elphaba then looked at her lover, sadness in her brown eyes. "I've never said this to you, but when I was with Fiyero, I…I knew he was still with you. I truly felt wicked at that time."

"I suspected something was going on with him when he was still my fiancé." She then laughed. "Imagine! He was my _fiancé_!"

Elphaba laughed. "Hard to imagine now, huh?" She then drew in the blonde for a hug. "I'm so glad we came to our senses, Glinda. I don't know what I would do without you."

Glinda returned the hug with a sigh. "Me too, Elphie. I love you."

"I love you too."

Glinda then gave her a light kiss and separated from her, keeping an arm around the green woman's waist.

"Let's go the Emerald City now," Elphaba told her.

The blonde frowned. "You are not going to make me get on that horrid broom again, are you?"

"Of course not!" Elphaba gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Haven't you ever heard of following the Yellow Brick Road?" She slipped her arm around the blonde's slim waist lovingly.

Glinda giggled. "I should take my own advice sometimes."

That's when they heard that all-too familiar voice outside.

Together they cried: "Fiyero!"

***

The wind swept through the barren land as a cavalry of men made their way through the Yellow Brick Road. The sound of the horses' hooves clopping on the yellow brick was all the Emperor heard for a long time as he sat in the lead wagon.

He was about to fall asleep when one of his wagon-mates jerked him awake.

"We've stopped, sire," the Gale Force soldier told him. "Commander Rayne found something you ought to see." He left him and the Emperor blinked a few times, trying to get the sleep out of his blue eyes.

"What is it now?" he groaned as he stepped out of the wooden wagon. He squinted against the sudden light of the sun and lifted a hand to shield them against the harsh sunlight. He walked towards a uniformed man riding on a handsome brown horse in front of the cavalry line.

"Your Ozness," the man greeted him, giving him the Ozian salute.

"Commander Rayne," the Emperor acknowledged him. "What is this thing you want me to see?"

The commander's horse nickered impatiently as he replied, "We are not sure, sire, but I think we ought to investigate it."

"Are you sure you're not wasting my time?" the Emperor asked grudgingly. "We are almost to the Emerald City. Can this wait a bit for further investigation?"

Commander Rayne shook his head. "It is to your best interest to see this for yourself, sire."

The Emperor gave a huff and fixed his green Gale Force jacket, which was wrinkled from the cramped conditions in the wagon. He then fixed his medals, which defined his status of Emperor of Oz. He noticed the commander look on jealously and he gave a small smirk.

"Where is my horse?" the Emperor asked Commander Rayne. The second-in-command turned his horse around and called out for the royal stable boy.

The boy ran out from behind one of the wagons, his plain clothes disheveled and shaggy black hair messy, as if he had been taking an impromptu nap. He quickly gave them the Ozian salute. "Yes, sirs?"

"Fetch the Emperor his horse!" Commander Rayne ordered the boy, and quickly he ran out towards the end of the cavalry line, to where the horses were kept together temporarily. Just as quickly he brought out a beautiful black mare, leading it by the reins. The horse's mane was cropped short militarily and its hooves shined with frequent polishing.

"There she is," the Emperor whispered to himself. The boy gave him the reins as he patted her big snout.

"She just ate, sire," the boy told the Emperor. "I fed her two good carrots and an apple." Without another word, he left the mare with the Emperor and ran back to his place behind the wagons.

"That's a fine lad right there," the Emperor told the commander. "One day I want him among my ranks as a good soldier."

"Will do, sire," Commander Rayne told him.

The Emperor knew the commander probably wasn't going to remember, but he shrugged it off as he stroked the mare's long snout.

"How are you doing, Fae?" he whispered to her. "Beautiful as ever, I see."

The horse gave him a snort and nibbled on his fingers, big brown eyes blinking at him.

"We should get going, sire," Commander Rayne advised him.

The Emperor nodded and walked around the mare. He put a boot in the stirrup and lifted himself into the saddle. His horse gave him a nicker as it pawed the ground impatiently.

"Lead the way, Commander," the Emperor told his second-in-command, grabbing the reins.

The Gale Force officer gave him a curt nod as he sent his brown horse into a fast gallop, sending dust into the air.

The Emperor followed him, feeling the familiar muscles of his horse work as they trotted across the barren, dry Munchkinland plains. _Oh, my Fae,_ he thought dreamily. _If only you were a woman…and green-skinned…you would be perfect…_

He shook his head, trying to forget he even thought about her. His heart ached painfully. _I would give up my title of Emperor just for another chance- _

His thoughts were interrupted as Commander Rayne abruptly stopped and dismounted his horse. The Emperor copied his actions and dismounted the mare.

"Look at this,"

The Emperor followed the commander's deep voice a couple of steps away from their horses. He saw an object in the man's hands and he gave a gasp, stopping dead in his tracks.

His dark skin started to glisten with sweat and his numerous blue diamond tattoos stood out even more than ever in the sun's harsh sunlight. His heart started to thud inside his broad chest.

The commander was holding a familiar, sharp-pointed hat in his hands. It was worn and dusty, but worn nonetheless. He looked up into the Emperor's blue eyes. Both of their voices blended together as they said:

"She's alive."


	6. Chapter 6

**Meh, last chapter didn't get as many reviews as I would've liked but...whatever. **

**Hope this one's better then the last.**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 6

Elphaba certainly did not expect this. She grabbed Glinda's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction, but then she spotted Boq's mother at the end of the hallway, who apparently also spotted them.

"_You!_"

"Other way, Elphie!" Glinda cried out as they started to run towards the end of the hallway. But then they heard Fiyero's voice again.

"I know you're in there!" he called out to them from behind the front door. "Don't make us break this door down!"

"_Us?_" Glinda asked quickly, her voice high in panic.

"The Gale Force guards!" Elphaba said frantically and pulled her back towards the direction of Boq's mother. The woman was ready to take both of them down if she had to, her blue eyes narrowed. She had a frying pan in one hand and a gun in the other.

Elphaba panicked. _A gun!_

The woman quickly raised it and pointed the barrel at Elphaba's forehead, stopping them dead in their tracks. Glinda cried out in horror.

"This should have been done a long time ago," the woman growled. "Prepare to go to hell, witch."

At the split-second before she pulled the trigger, Glinda had jerked Elphaba away, so the bullet only grazed her shoulder. She cried out in pain as Glinda pulled her into a small room.

"That was a gunshot! _Elphaba!_"

Fiyero's cry was drowned out as the two women crashed into the closet. Glinda fumbled with the lock, but managed to secure it tightly; Elphaba's whimpering making it all the worse. She heard the crazed woman curse and bang on the door.

"Is it really bad?" Elphaba asked her, her voice trembling.

Glinda swallowed her retch. The woman's shoulder was completely covered in blood. She nodded, not wanting to lie in a moment like this. She crouched down in front of her wounded love, trying to examine her injury under the dim light. The bullet had torn right though the woman's long-sleeve shirt and embedded itself into her green skin.

"It hurts like hell," Elphaba growled. She shifted uncomfortably, groaning.

Glinda put her hands on her lover's face. "Don't move, Elphie. It only makes it worse."

The woman's banging on the door was staring to annoy Elphaba even more than her wound. "Oh shut up, woman! He should take it like a man!"

Glinda ignored her as she tried to figure out what to do. She reached inside her skirt pocket, taking out her wand. _A bubble won't help us now!_ she thought in frustration.

Suddenly the banging ceased.

"Elphaba!" Fiyero's voice called out from outside the door. "Open up!"

Both the girls flinched. Glinda then reached inside her pocket again, only feeling the thin page she had kept that had fallen out from the Grimmerie when they discovered it had disappeared.

_The Grimmerie!_

Elphaba groaned in pain as the blonde took out the withered purple-colored paper. They started to hear a loud thumping noise against the door. It splintered, about to give way.

_It's not going to hold for much longer!_ Glinda thought frantically, feeling pure adrenaline run deep through her body. She then noticed Elphaba starting to black out, the loss of blood starting to take a toll on the green woman. _And she's not either!_

"No, no," Glinda begged Elphaba, taking her green hand. "Stay with me!"

"Glinda?" Fiyero's voice sounded confused from outside the door.

Elphaba's brown eyes flickered in recognition. "Yero-"

Glinda shoved the paper in front of Elphaba's nose. "Read this! Quickly now!"

Elphaba opened her mouth in a silent moan as she took the paper, her blood starting to run unto the floor. Glinda tried not to cry out in horror. "O-olant f-fe-"

"C'mon, Elphie! That's it!" Glinda's voice was shaking so badly she barely made sense. She started to sob as Elphaba's blood started to run on her palm.

"-fent-ika sh-shrem- uh…"

That's when Elphaba's head lolled to the side as she finally fell unconscious.

"No!" Glinda screamed in dismay. Fiyero finally burst through the door, splinters flying everywhere.

And then everything went black.

***

The Great Witch grabbed the Grimmerie again, hurriedly flipping through the pages. "There has to be a similar spell! There's got to be! Maybe the Vanishing spell-"

The sisters were getting impatient as the woman continued to act strangely.

"What did you tell her?" Zafryna asked offhandedly to Frynda, a brow raised.

"I-I just told her about the green witch," stammered the red-skinned youngest sister. "She then got up and left."

"She more like _freaked out_ and left."

Zafryna let out a chuckle. "Left her mind, you mean?"

"I heard that," the Great Witch growled as she perused several pages. "No, that's not it…" she said to herself.

"S-sorry, your Highness," Zafryna stammered.

"Aha!" the Great Witch exclaimed, making the three girls jump out of sheer surprise. "The Calling spell!"

"The _what_ spell?" Bolynda asked her, scratching her head with a blue finger.

"The Calling spell! I made it up during my days at Shiz when I felt lonely in my dorm room." The Great Witch seemed very excited at the mention of this spell, so the sisters decided to go along with it.

"All I have to do is picture the person's face in my mind, then say her name-"

"But you have never seen her for yourself, your Highness," Zafryna said, tilting her head in confusion.

"I have seen her-"

All three sisters raised their brows in disbelief.

"-in visions, of course," the Great Witch stammered, tucking a strand of loose white hair behind her ear absent-mindedly. She then closed her gray eyes, trying to conjure up a picture of Elphaba, but it was difficult, for the last time she saw her was when she was leaving for Shiz-

"Elph-"

Then there was a loud 'thunk' and the girls screamed.

***

Glinda opened her eyes to find herself in a totally different place.

_What in Oz's name-_

She then looked around, feeling four pairs of eyes on her. She ignored them and looked under her. Elphaba was still with her, though she was unconscious. Her blood started to pool on the carpet under them.

"By the Named God," someone breathed.

Glinda looked up to see four women standing above her. To her horror, one of them was the red-skinned woman she had met that morning. The others she couldn't even begin to describe.

"Get away from us!" Glinda screamed at them, using her body to shield the wounded Elphaba.

One of the women bent down to their level, taking off her white cloak and tossing it aside. She looked upon the pair with saddened eyes. "Let me take a look at her-"

"No!" Glinda shouted at her, feeling her heart thud against her chest. What are these four strangers going to do to them? But Elphaba will die underneath her if she didn't get help soon.

"Listen to her, Blondie," another woman told her. To Glinda's amazement—or terror—the woman's skin was a cool ocean blue. She had blazing ice blue eyes.

"Her name's Glinda," the red-skinned woman whispered to her. Frynda was her name, Glinda remembered.

"Move so I can get a look at her or she will bleed to death," the pale woman growled at her.

Glinda had no choice but to move off to the side and let the woman examine her lover.

"She has been shot in the shoulder," the pale woman concurred, a bit shakily. "She's losing a lot of blood. Zafryna-"

The last girl Glinda hasn't heard from raised her head, her strikingly yellow face contrasting against her emerald eyes.

"Get me the Grimmerie."

At this Elphaba started to stir, her brown eyes flickering open. She took on a confused expression as she saw the strange woman hovering above her. She looked strangely familiar. She said the first name that came to her.

"M-Melena?"

Just as quickly she fell back to unconsciousness.

The pale woman blinked in surprise. "She was delirious," she said as Zafryna handed her the book.

Glinda stared at the pale woman in confusion as she opened the Grimmerie. _So they did steal it…_Glinda thought angrily. _If we would have gone to the Emerald City we would have never found it._

"Here,"

The pale woman turned towards the blue-skinned girl. "Fetch the Healing Herb, Bolynda,"

"But that's precious, your Highness," the girl protested.

"This is an emergency!" the pale woman didn't have to say anymore as Bolynda hurried out of the room.

Glinda was about to protest when the pale woman started to rip apart Elphaba's shirt at the shoulder, exposing the bloody mess that made up the wound.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked her as Frynda neared them, crouching beside Zafryna.

"We have to take the bullet out," the woman explained. "Unless you want it there when it heals over-"

"Of course not!" Glinda said quickly.

"Then I rest my case." The pale woman looked at Frynda and Zafryna. "Hold her down. This is going to hurt."

Glinda tried hard not to look when Frynda and Zafryna held down the green woman's legs and arms. After a few moments of heart-pounding silence, Elphaba screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Elphie!"

Glinda crawled towards her lover's side. Elphaba was thrashing about, but Frynda and Zafryna's strong hands kept her in place. Zafryna's back obscured her view of the pale woman as she pulled out the bullet.

"Got it!"

Her cry was followed by Elphaba's shout of pain. Glinda shivered involuntarily.

"Hurry now, your Highness," Zafryna grunted, "the spell-"

"Gath erman eleka utam gath erman eleka utam gath-"

The pale woman's feminine voice was cut off as Bolynda came back with the Healing Herb. It was in a glass jar and Bolynda's blue fingers delicately unscrewed it and opened it.

A sudden burst of aroma filled the room and Glinda had to pinch her nose in order to breathe.

"Let me get the water," Bolynda started to offer but the pale woman cut her off with a shake of her head.

"No. No water for her."

"Then how is this going to work, your Highness?"

"Her own blood will have to do."

Glinda tried with much difficulty to keep from retching. _Her own blood?_ She thought miserably. Frynda, though, had a weaker stomach. The young woman quickly got up and ran out of the room, a red-colored hand covering her mouth.

"Amateur!" Bolynda called after her.

"Your turn to hold her down, Bolynda," the pale woman grunted. "This Healing Herb takes a few seconds to take effect."

Glinda dared to look again. Elphaba was still thrashing about, her gargled screams coming out in short gasps. It sounded like they were killing her!

"Damn it, she's strong!" Bolynda huffed, her voice filled with strain.

Glinda was about to move to do something but suddenly Elphaba went still.

"It's done," the pale woman said, getting up.

"Finally!" Bolynda exclaimed.

Zafryna heaved a sigh of relief.

Glinda hurriedly crawled back to look at her lover. She was still a bloody mess, but her face looked peaceful and relaxed as she slept. Her wound was just a thin scar on her shoulder now and Glinda couldn't help but sob with relief.

"Why is she crying _now_?" Bolynda asked Zafryna.

"Tears of joy, Bolynda," the yellow-skinned woman replied. "Tears of joy."

"I-I don't know how to t-thank you," sniveled Glinda, wiping the tears away from her eyes with her hand.

"You'll find a way sooner or later," the pale woman told her. "But for now, don't mention it."

Glinda decided to ignore the woman's indirect answer and said shakily, "I'm sorry I yelled at you-"

"Yeah, you were a bitch at the beginning-"

Zafryna jabbed her elbow against Bolynda's ribs. The blue-skinned woman in turn gave her a rude gesture with her hand.

"Girls," groaned the pale woman. She began to wipe Elphaba's blood off her hands with a cream-colored rag.

"She started it," Bolynda growled.

Zafryna rolled her eyes.

Glinda grew even more confused with every word they said. She then looked down at Elphaba and smiled. At least her Elphie was safe again.

Frynda then came through the door, her face a lighter shade of red than it had been when she was sick. "What did I miss?"

"Everything," Bolynda replied snidely.

"She survived." Zafryna shot the blue-skinned girl a death glare. "Thanks to the Great Witch."

Glinda looked up, her brows knit together in confusion. "Great Witch?"

The pale woman nodded, closing her gray eyes. "They call me the Great Witch here. And you must be…"

"Glinda Upland."

"Of the Upper Uplands?" the Great Witch asked her, smiling when she nodded. "Well then, nice to finally meet you, Glinda Upland of the Upper Uplands. Or as you're also known by: Glinda the Good."

"Only on special occasions, your Highness." Glinda blushed as she shook the Great Witch's hand. She then looked at Elphaba and started to say, "And this is-"

"Oh, I know who _she_ is," the Great Witch said, gesturing towards Elphaba. "Miss Elphaba Thropp, Thropp Third Descending from Nest Hardings. Trust me, I know my Thropps."

"Did you say throw up?" Frynda asked, cupping her mouth again as her skin turned several shades of red darker.

"No, I said Thropp-"

It was too late. Frynda ran out of the door again.

"What's the matter with her?" Glinda asked the Great Witch.

"Low blood tolerance," Bolynda muttered. "Even to her own."

Glinda giggled as she stroked Elphaba's raven-colored hair.

"Why don't we get you both a room?" Bolynda asked them, a smirk coming unto her blue lips.

Zafryna smacked her arm. "Why don't you try to be quiet for once, Bolynda?"

The Great Witch rolled her gray eyes. "Instead of arguing, why don't you both find a suitable room for this lovely couple?"

"Yes, your Highness!" the two girls said at the same time. They hurried out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Is it _that_ obvious we're a couple, your Highness?" Glinda asked the Great Witch.

"Please, enough with the 'your Highnesses'. It's getting ridiculous." The Great Witch then smiled. "If I didn't know you were a couple, I would have thought you two were married."

Glinda beamed with pride as she gazed affectionately at her love. "Well, eventually…"

The Great Witch smiled at her and switched her gaze from the blonde to her lover. She then let her thoughts drift away, reminiscing on days when she still had the childish innocence like these two. Even though Elphaba looked wiser beyond her years, she still had that look of yearning in the creases on her forehead and around her eyes. Did she still wear glasses?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Glinda asked,

"Where…are we exactly?"

The Great Witch blinked in surprise. "You…don't know?"

Glinda shook her head. "Somewhere in Oz, I suppose-"

"Oh, boy." The Great Witch then straightened up and looked down at Glinda. "Let's wait until she wakes up, okay?"

Glinda frowned, worried. "What are you not telling me?"

"Just…be patient."

The blonde could not help but notice the hesitation in the elegant woman's smooth voice.

_What is she hiding from me?_

***

Fiyero nearly dropped his rifle in shock. _Where the hell did they go?_

All he saw was a pool of blood, sending a shiver down his spine. He dared to take a step forward, just to make sure they weren't hiding from him. It was a fairly small closet, barely enough room for supplies, let alone two girls.

He grimaced. Somehow they disappeared. He kicked at the wall in pure frustration.

"Sire?"

The Gale Force soldier behind him was holding back the old woman who had stood in their way from the closet. She had a crazed look in her blue eyes and her red bandana was coming undone from her graying hair.

"They escaped," Fiyero said to the soldier. "Take her to the wagon."

"You can't take my mother like that!"

The familiar voice made Fiyero turn around. He smiled when he recognized the black-haired Munchkinlander.

"Boq, my old friend! Long time no see, eh? And this time you're not made out of tin! How nice!"

Boq bared his teeth at the Emperor. "This has got to be the worst day of my life," he said angrily. "Three people I hate end up showing up at my house within an hour."

Fiyero frowned. "Oh, that's no way to talk to your Emperor," he said, tsk-tsking.

Boq didn't reply and just glared at the dark-skinned man, his blue eyes smothering with hate.

"Take her to the wagon," Fiyero told the soldier again and he took off with the old woman in tow.

"W-what?" Boq stammered. "You just took my mother!"

"It's obvious she needs some professional help," Fiyero explained to him. "And how did she even get a _gun_?"

Boq shrugged. "I don't know."

Fiyero rolled his blue eyes then said, "Besides, buddy, you don't want to spend your life with your_ mom_, do you?"

"What life? _I have no life_!"

"Apparently," Fiyero muttered quietly then said with a louder voice, "What did you do to get that hell of a shiner?"

Boq closed his eyes, one of them swollen with a nasty purple-colored ball-sized bruise. "Elphaba."

Fiyero laughed. "Seriously? What did you do? Try to come on to her or something?"

Boq took a look to disgust to his Munchkin features. "Hell no!"

"That's what I thought." Fiyero shook his head. "She wants no men in her life. That's what she said when she…dumped me."

Boq raised a brow curiously. "Really?"

"Yeah." Fiyero brushed a hand through his jet black hair as he sighed.

"She dumped you for a woman! Hah!"

Fiyero froze, his eyes opening wide. "A-a _woman_?"

Boq nodded. "And guess who?"

Fiyero felt his eye twitch. "Tell me before I give you another bruise to match the one you already got."

"Whoa, whoa, no need to get violent!" Boq stammered. "It's Glinda."

"_GLINDA?_"

"It must be so awkward having your two ex-girlfriends together like that, man."

"B-but…_Glinda? _B-but…she would never consider…"

Boq gave him a smirk. "Wow. You really _must_ be brainless. Are you sure all that straw didn't get to your head when you were a scarecrow? I mean, they _were_ in a closet together, Fiyero…"

Fiyero impulsively punched the Munchkinlander, sending him to the ground.

"I still can't believe I tolerated you when we traveled with Dorothy," Fiyero growled as he bent down to grab his rifle. He then did a complete about-face and stormed down the hallway. He then gestured to the guards at the door.

"Sire?" one of them asked, glancing into the hallway.

"Don't even bother with him. Let's go!"

Fiyero then rejoined his cavalry, clambered inside the lead wagon and sulked as they left the small cottage house.


	7. Chapter 7

**Read my profile, he he. **

**:P**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 7

Elphaba opened her eyes to see Glinda's lovely face hovering over her.

"Well, hello there!" The blonde kissed her forehead. "Sleeping Beauty finally awoke from her deep slumber!"

The green woman smiled and lifted her hand to caress Glinda's cheek. "We're still not anywhere near the Grimmerie, right?" she asked.

Glinda frowned. "You wake up and all you can think about is the Grimmerie?"

Elphaba shrugged. "That's the last thing I remember thinking about. And my mother…but that's a totally different topic."

Glinda rolled her eyes. "You're still delirious, Elphie."

"No, I'm not! Unless I'm having a dream." She brought Glinda's face down to kiss her. "If I am, then don't wake me up."

Glinda giggled. "You wish, Elphaba Thropp. Get up. We need to figure out where we are." She got up from her spot at the edge of the bed and stretched.

Elphaba groaned. "Five more minutes, Mom!" She pulled the blankets over her head until Glinda pulled them down again.

"No sleeping in for you, missy!"

"Aw!" Elphaba groaned and sat up. She then looked down at the pink nightgown she was wearing. "Since when was I wearing _this?_"

"Don't give me that look! Pink goes good with green, remember?"

Elphaba grimaced. "I know, but-"

"Your clothes were dirty. And plus, Bolynda was being nice for once."

"Bolynda?" Elphaba tipped her head to the side.

Glinda remembered Elphaba still didn't know the girls downstairs. She abruptly grabbed her green hand and pulled her out of the bed. "C'mon! You've got to meet them!"

"In _this?_" Elphaba gestured towards her unsightly garment. "Do you have something a little less…frilly?"

"Oh, stop complaining! C'mon!"

Elphaba couldn't help but be dragged along as Glinda led her out of the room into the expansive hallway.

"Why is everything so…red?" Elphaba asked the blonde as she followed her down the hall. This reminded her of the Palace in the Emerald City, only…red.

"I don't know," Glinda replied. "I still don't know where we are, remember?"

"That's just nice," Elphaba muttered sarcastically as they climbed down the stairs.

"She's awake?"

The sudden loud voice made Elphaba jump as she reached the foot of the stairs. Glinda tugged on her arm to continue following her.

"She is, your Highness!" the blonde answered whoever called out.

"Your Highness?" Elphaba whispered to Glinda questioningly as she opened the doors to an expansive room.

A woman appeared in front of them as Glinda shut the door behind them. "What did I tell you about calling me 'your Highness?'" she asked the blonde. "Well, what do we have here?"

Elphaba gawked at the magnificent woman. She was wearing a white cloak as white as her hair. She had gray eyes that complemented perfectly with her pale features.

"And you must be Elphaba Thropp. The girl Glinda's been talking about for an hour." The woman extended her hand, smiling.

The green woman jumped when the woman addressed to her directly. "Y-yes." She took the offered hand, shaking it slowly.

"I'm the Great Witch."

"What's your name?"

Glinda smacked her arm. "That was rude, Elphie!"

Elphaba rubbed her sore arm. "I'm sorry!"

The Great Witch waved her hand. "No need to get violent, Glinda! That is a very legit question and the woman needs an answer!"

Glinda quickly bowed her head. "Yes, your-"

The Great Witch cleared her throat, stopping Glinda mid- 'your Highness'. She then turned to Elphaba again, gazing into those penetrating chocolate brown eyes. "I prefer to keep my name a secret, for only a few people know."

Elphaba nodded and looked around the grand living room. She noticed the fireplace going strong in the far wall of the room and she suddenly was reminded of that red-skinned woman. What's her name…

"Frynda!"

Elphaba turned around to see the red-skinned woman herself at the door. Her fists clenched involuntarily. Glinda noticed her sudden mood change and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax, Elphie," the blonde whispered in her ear. "She's harmless."

"Uh, hi?" Frynda stepped into the room. She looked at Elphaba, a bit startled by her presence. She backed away, letting her auburn hair fall to cover her face. "Sorry, I came in at the wrong time. I'll come back later-"

"No, Frynda. Come and join us!" the Great Witch gestured for her to come forward.

The red-skinned girl reluctantly obliged, walking towards them to stand beside the Great Witch, still averting Elphaba's brown gaze.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to Elphaba here?" the pale woman asked Frynda.

The young girl looked petrified as she stared at the green woman. "Um-"

"We already had our introductions earlier," Elphaba told the Great Witch. She winked at Frynda, who let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Oh, that's right! Sorry for that! Then we just have to wait for your sisters to come down."

"Sisters?" Elphaba asked her. "There's more of you?"

"Oh yes," the Great Witch said. "Unfortunately."

"Your Highness!" Frynda hissed, thoroughly offended.

The Great Witch looked at the amber-eyed girl. "You know how your sisters are, Frynda."

That's when Elphaba noticed the Grimmerie laying on the floor. She hurriedly went to its side, smiling. "It's here!"

Glinda shook her head as Frynda said,

"And where else would it be?"

The Great Witch rolled her gray eyes. "I think some of your sister's lovely charm is rubbing off on you, Frynda,"

"_Lovely_?"

"It's called sarcasm." The new voice made Elphaba look up from the Grimmerie. "She's learning from the best, your Highness." The woman bowed low to the ground; her short, cropped hair covering her face. When she rose, Elphaba gasped in surprise.

The woman quickly looked at her, her ice blue eyes narrowed.

"Y-you're blue!" Elphaba stammered.

"Y-you're green!" the woman mocked her and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm blue. I think I've known that for quite a while now. The name's Bolynda by the way, bullet girl."

Elphaba's brows knit together in confusion. "Bullet girl?"

"We practically saved your life."

Elphaba looked at the Great Witch, Frynda, then at Glinda. "Really?"

Glinda nodded. "Without them, I would have lost you." She wrapped her arms around the green woman's waist and kissed her on the lips.

"Oh please, get a room." Bolynda rolled her eyes. She then looked at Glinda, her eyes opening wide. "That's disgusting!"

"What?" Glinda asked her, sounding thoroughly offended.

"Bolynda can read minds, Glinda," Frynda muttered.

Glinda then flushed deeply, burying her head in her hands. Elphaba cast Bolynda a questioning look.

"You save those thoughts for the bedroom, Blondie! Whoa!"

"_Bolynda!_" The Great Witch and Frynda where clearly on the same wavelength when it came to the blunt blue-skinned girl.

Elphaba giggled as Glinda kept her head buried in her hands. She hugged her tightly.

"And bullet girl,"

Bolynda turned to Elphaba.

"I'd keep that frock pulled down low if you know what I mean." She winked at her as she sauntered out the door.

Glinda let out a groan and buried her face in Elphaba's shoulder. "How embarrassing!" she murmured against her lover's green skin.

Elphaba chuckled. "I'm surprised she didn't say anything about _my_ thoughts," she said with a smirk.

Glinda pulled away from her and put her hands on her hips. "Elphaba! I am appalled with you!" She gave her a gentle smack on her arm before throwing her arms around her neck and kissing her.

"Okay, let's end this love fest before anything else pops up, eh?" the Great Witch laughed, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. She then looked at Elphaba's newly healed scar with approval.

"The Healing Herb did its work marvelously. You can't even tell it happened."

Elphaba's eyes shadowed. "But it did. And I will never forget it."

She felt Glinda squeeze her hand reassuringly.

The Great Witch cleared her throat before the mood got any darker. She looked at Frynda. "Go tell your sisters I am taking the newcomers out for a walk."

Elphaba blinked in surprise as Frynda hurriedly left the room.

The Great Witch turned to them, her gray eyes hard with determination as she looked at both of the girls. "I think it's about time you both knew where you are."

***

Frynda climbed up the stairs and shot straight into her sisters' room. She closed the door behind her as Bolynda let out a groan from on top of her bed in the corner.

"They are so weird!" The blue-skinned girl sat up, crossing her legs together. "I mean, they can't last five minutes without thinking obscenely dirty thoughts and slobbering all over each other."

"What did Glinda think?" Frynda asked her as she sat on the couch near the door.

Bolynda mocked throwing up with her hands. "With a weak stomach like yours, you wouldn't want to know. What were worse were that green girl's thoughts. I mean, I could barely process hers without getting a migraine!"

Zafryna, who sat at the edge of her bed on the other side of the room playing with her crystal Looking glass, said calmly,

"Then why read her thoughts?"

"I can't_ help_ it!" Bolynda argued. "Hers are so loud I can't block them out. I focused on Glinda's just so I can tune hers out."

"Yes," Frynda said. "You didn't read _my_ mind for once."

"Your thoughts are boring," Bolynda said matter-of-factly. "I'd rather read Glinda's any day. At least hers come with _pictures_." She smiled wryly.

"Ew!" Frynda stuck her tongue at her older sister. "That's gross!"

"I think we've had enough of revolting for one day, sisters," Zafryna told them. "Let's talk about something else, shall we?"

"About what?" Frynda asked her.

"About…the weather?"

"_Lame!_" Bolynda grabbed her pillow and hugged it against her chest. "Let's talk about boys!"

Zafryna looked questioningly at her. "What about them?"

"You know," Bolynda explained, gesturing with her hand. "_Boys_."

"So? What about them?" the yellow-skinned girl asked again.

"I can't wait to go to Shiz and finally meet some _real people_!" Bolynda cried out in exasperation. "You guys are boring me to death!"

"She didn't say anything about a definite set date for Shiz, Bolynda," Frynda told her. "She just said she wants us to go there someday."

"_Meaning-_"

"Meaning we might or might not go. _Someday," _Zafryna said. "I, for one, don't want to go just for the boys—or _real people_ as you call them. I actually want to learn."

"Me too," Frynda said, her amber eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Oh whatever," Bolynda said. "I just want to _get out of here_."

"We've been here all our lives, Bolynda,"

"Exactly, Zafryna. That's why I want to go!"

"But the Great Witch needs us here."

"For what? We've done all we could for her. It's time to go."

"But, Bolynda, she's our-"

"Don't even say it. I can't even _picture_ her being our mother."

Zafryna's brows rose. "It doesn't matter what you say, Bolynda. She is still our mother and we have to do everything we can to help her rule this land and if she still needs us, _she still needs us_."

"But I don't want to spend my _entire life_ here! I want to fly free and explore the world!"

Zafryna rolled her eyes at Bolynda's exaggeration. "Not your _entire life_, silly. Just until we're not needed."

"The Great Witch doesn't need us anymore, though, Zafryna," Frynda told the eldest sister. "We've helped her secure her rule and we gave her back the Grimmerie. What else could she want?"

Zafryna was about to argue before Bolynda spoke up again.

"And besides, she has those two lovebirds now to keep her occupied." Bolynda gave her two sisters a sly smile. "I say we should make our escape while we can."

Zafryna rolled her eyes as Frynda said,

"But where would we go, Bolynda?"

The blue-skinned girl laughed. "To Oz of course!"

***

As the Great Witch led them down the main hallway, Elphaba could not help but notice the sheer red-ness of the walls, making her feel as if she was in some big fireplace. She could almost feel the heat radiating from the walls.

"Why so red?" Elphaba asked the Great Witch.

"You'll see," the pale woman said, annoyingly vague.

Glinda tightened her grip on Elphaba's hand, getting her attention. "Did you notice this place reminds you of the Green Palace at the Emerald City?"

None of the girls noticed the Great Witch's brow rise.

"Yeah," Elphaba answered her lover's question. "It's kind of…creepy the way that it is so familiar."

"I've never heard of a red castle in Oz," Glinda said.

Elphaba shook her head. "Me neither."

The Great Witch led them to the main entrance, which consisted to two massive wooden doors adorned in beautiful carvings of dragons and ancient folklore only a true citizen of this land would understand.

"Even the doorman looks the same," Glinda commented about the uniformed red-bearded man at the door.

The Great Witch glanced at the doorman, who bowed his head.

"Your Highness," he said respectfully.

Elphaba and Glinda stared at the oddly-familiar man as the Great Witch gave him a curt nod. The doorman opened the massive doors for them with a push of a button on his maroon-colored uniform.

The girls had to squint against the harsh sunlight that suddenly came upon them as they stepped onto the castle's front steps.

Once their eyes adjusted to the light, Glinda squeezed Elphaba's hand and whispered,

"I don't think we're in Oz anymore, Elphie."

* * *

**Sound familiar? XP**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Elphaba stared at the strange land ahead of her, an uncomfortable feeling creeping up her spine. She felt her heart thump in her chest as she looked at Glinda just as the blonde turned to look at her, their fear echoing in both of their expressions.

"Well, girls?" the Great Witch said, her mouth turned up to a grin. "Welcome to the Land of Zo."

"Zo?" Glinda's voice came out as a squeak.

Elphaba was shocked to speechlessness as the Great Witch said,

"Well, yes. I take it you have never heard of Oz's antithesis?"

Both of the girls' heads shook in unison.

The Great Witch let out a hearty laugh. "Well then, I am not surprised! Let me give you a special tour! Follow me back inside!" Without another word the tall, lanky woman disappeared back inside the double doors, her white cloak billowing behind her.

The girls followed in silence, holding tightly to each other. They followed the Great Witch up the stairs, passing the room where they could hear the three sisters talking amongst themselves. They climbed up another set of stairs that led to a small room that in turn opened into an expansive balcony.

The Great Witch put her pale hands on the doors to the balcony and opened them, the wind suddenly rushing in with a whoosh. Glinda hid behind the taller Elphaba as the wind hit them, sending their hair flying in disarray.

"C'mon, ladies!" the Great Witch urged them onto the platform with a hand on their shoulders. With a bit of reluctance they let themselves be led to the edge of the balcony, looking over the railing. They could see the entire land from the great height.

The Great Witch stood next to them as they grasped the breathtaking sight. She pointed to a winding blue-colored road that wound around the numerous hills that lined the countryside.

"That's what we call the Blue Brick Road. Just the opposite from the Ozian Yellow Brick Road."

Elphaba put her green hands on the railing and leaned forward, trying to get a better view of the azure colored road. "Wow," she breathed.

"And what's that red light over there?" Glinda asked the Great Witch, pointing to a shining red light towards the horizon, almost blending in with the setting sun.

"It's the lights from Ruby City," the pale woman told her. "The Zoian capital."

Elphaba exhaled in surprise. "Like the Emerald City?"

"Right!" the Great Witch said. "You are catching on fast!"

Glinda then tugged at the Great Witch's cloak as if she was a little girl asking her parents for something. "What's _that_?" She pointed to a peculiar dark splotch of land to the west of the Ruby City dotted with small buildings.

"The Animal Village."

Elphaba looked at her quickly. Even the mere mention of the word 'Animal' will capture her attention. "Animal Village? Animals live here?"

"Well, of course! Without them, where would we get our agriculture?"

The green woman smiled. When she was still named the Wicked Witch of the West, she defended the Animal's Rights in Oz.

"If the Animals provide your agriculture," Glinda started to ask the Great Witch. "Where do the Munchkinlanders come in?"

Elphaba looked at Glinda, surprised she would ask such a question.

"I know my fair share of politics," the blonde said simply. "I ruled Oz at one time, you know."

The Great Witch laughed. "The blonde knows her stuff!"

Elphaba wrapped an arm around her lover's shoulders. "That's my girl!"

Glinda blushed in embarrassment. "Not all blondes are dumb, you know…"

The Great Witch smiled and said, "We don't have Munchkins, like Oz. What we have are Giants."

"Giants?" Elphaba asked. "Let me guess, they're-"

"Humungous." The Great Witch nodded. "They provide our lumber and masonry. They also command the forges and construction." She then opened her arms wide. "They are the ones that built this beautiful castle here."

Glinda was then even more curious than ever. "And to the north you have-"

"Absolutely nothing. It is a desert. No one lives there. We call it the Barren Country, for its…barren."

Elphaba knew she was looking for a comparison to her homeland back in Oz, Gillikin, and she gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"-But there's Triffinia, to the south," the Great Witch finished. "Only the Lowest of the Lowlands live there."

"That sounds highly negative."

The Great Witch shook her head at Glinda's statement. "Absolutely not! It is an honor to be from a Lower Lowlands family; just like in Oz it is an honor to be from the Upper Uplands."

Again Glinda blushed. "T-thanks."

Elphaba couldn't help but ask, "Do you have a University? Like Shiz?"

The Great Witch's smile wavered. "Uh, no. That's a story to be left for another time. Only Oz has a University."

She had to leave Elphaba hanging on her question as the Great Witch fixed the collar on her cloak. "We could continue this conversation in the castle; it is starting to get dark."

Both Elphaba and Glinda nodded, realizing she was right. It felt like morning to Elphaba, since she had been sleeping most of the day, but Glinda knew the day was almost over. They followed the Great Witch inside the castle again.

As Elphaba closed the door behind them, Glinda posed another question to the Great Witch.

"And…are you the ruler of Zo?"

The elegant woman nodded. "Yes I am. Just like your…Wizard."

Elphaba clenched her fists at the mention of the man she swore she would never think about again. "He's gone."

The Great Witch looked at her curiously, her gray eyes piercing through Elphaba's green skin. "He left Oz?"

"It's a long story."

"We have an Emperor now," Glinda said. "We're still not sure who it is."

The white-haired woman now looked at the blonde, her brow raised. "How long has it been since this Emperor took power?"

"A couple of months."

"And you still don't know who he is?"

"Or she."

Glinda looked at Elphaba. "Please, don't think that woman had taken a stab at power. She's in prison. I personally made sure of it."

The Great Witch looked at both of them, not sure who they're talking about.

Elphaba noticed the woman's confusion and said. "The Wizard's former press secretary."

"Madame Morrible," added Glinda. "You really _don't_ want her to be in power. _Ever_. That's why I took over temporarily after the Wizard left and shut her up in Southstairs. I only hope she didn't figure out a way to escape."

The Great Witch furrowed her brows, as if she knew who Morrible was all along. "Yes, now I remember."

"_Remember_?" Elphaba asked her. "You lived in Oz?"

"I was born there."

Elphaba tried to picture the elegant woman as an Ozian, but she seemed too otherworldly and difficult for her to place.

"When did you leave?" Glinda asked her, but the Great Witch just closed her eyes.

"This conversation has gone too deep and personal for my liking."

Her dark tone made Elphaba's skin crawl. In the short half an hour she knew the woman, she had never heard her use a tone other than friendly.

The pale woman looked at both of them. "I would suppose you two would be getting hungry. After all, you didn't have lunch." She shot a look at Elphaba.

Elphaba heard Glinda's stomach rumble as if it was a reply to the Great Witch's statement. The blonde looked at her lover, a rueful look on her face.

"Sorry, Elphie…"

Elphaba stroked her blonde curls lovingly with her hand. "That's alright, Glinda. All we've had is that nasty cold pancake I made this morning-"

"By the Named God!" the Great Witch exclaimed. "You must taste our Zoian cuisine! You will never be able to taste Ozian food the same way again!"

Before the girls had a chance to say anything, the Witch whisked them away.

***

Elphaba picked at the strange green blob at her plate, her face twisting in disgust.

_Is this some sort of mockery?_ She thought venomously, quickly losing whatever little appetite she had.

Glinda, however, was happily digging into the green meal, her mouth full as she tried to speak to Frynda. The young woman was looking at her with some great interest.

"And then you know what he did?" Glinda said, her voice muffled by the food.

"What?" Frynda asked her, clearly intrigued.

Glinda swallowed and quickly replied, "He pledged that he's a 'sentimental man' and all this mush. Can you believe that? Elphie and I were-"

Abruptly Elphaba grabbed her hand, staring at her. "Glinda," she muttered, giving her a warning look and then gesturing to the rest of the crowd at the dining table.

"What?" she asked, then her baby blue eyes flickered in recognition. "O-oh, yeah." She then looked back at Frynda. "Where are my manners? This food is great! Give my compliments to the cook!"

"Thank you," Zafryna said, her voice modest. "I try."

"You made this delicious food?" Glinda asked her, wide-eyed.

Zafryna shrugged. "There's nothing better than a little dash of a secret ingredient, as our mother used to say."

Elphaba didn't miss Bolynda's glare aimed at the yellow-skinned woman as Glinda replied,

"What secret ingredient?"

"A good cook never reveals her secrets." Zafryna didn't look the least fazed by her sister's icy blue glare. "As she also said."

The Great Witch quickly cleared her throat and said,

"Yes, yes! Zafryna has been a wonderful cook ever since she was old enough to carry a spatula!"

Zafryna's yellow face turned a shade darker with embarrassment. "It's not really_ that_ good…"

"You should give Elphie lessons!" Glinda exclaimed, grabbing Elphaba's hand again. She cut off her groan as she said hastily, "Not that I don't like your cooking, Elphie, but…"

"What does she do, burn it?" Bolynda asked them, her sharp face perking up with a grin.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Okay, sometimes." Glinda chuckled; patting Elphaba's arm as she sat there, her hand covering her face with embarrassment. "But I love you anyway, dearest."

Elphaba didn't reply, slowly shaking her head.

"I think you offended her," Frynda said quietly. "Is her cooking really _that _bad?"

Glinda frowned as Elphaba looked up at the red-woman.

"N-no. It's nothing, Frynda. I'm starting to have a headache, that's all." Her voice sounded a bit strained.

"Uh-oh." Glinda quickly stood up. "I think we have to go now."

Elphaba looked up at her as the Great Witch stood up also.

"So soon?" she asked. "We haven't gotten to the main course yet."

"No, no, Glinda," Elphaba pulled the blonde down to sit by her again. "I'm fine, honestly."

Glinda shook away her lover's grip and looked at the Great Witch. "Elphie has been through a lot lately, your Highness-"

She ignored the immediate protest of the Great Witch.

"-this morning she had an accident and hit her head really hard-"

Frynda sank further down in her chair.

"Glinda…"

"-and to top it all off, she got shot. I figure she needs some more rest."

"Glinda," Elphaba said her name again, her voice low. "_I'm fine_. Relax."

Glinda then grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair. "You're going to rest. C'mon."

Elphaba couldn't help herself but to let Glinda drag her away from the others. Quickly they climbed up the stairs and entered their room. Glinda shut the door behind them and bolted it.

Elphaba turned around to say something to her, but she suddenly felt lips crush unto hers. Glinda wrapped her arms around her neck as the green woman kissed her back.

"Glinda?" Elphaba breathed as they parted, her voice low.

The blonde tucked a stray lock of black hair behind her lover's ear as she said, "I figured you needed a quick pick-me-up," she said. "Now tell me what's wrong."

"My head hurts. I told you."

"You know me better than that. Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't think we should be here."

Glinda's eyes widened as she drew back. "Why?"

Elphaba sighed and ran her hands through her black hair in her exasperation. "That's what I don't know! I don't know why we shouldn't be here!"

Glinda raised a brow.

"I have a feeling. A feeling I can't place…"

"A feeling that something bad is going to happen?"

Elphaba smiled at the blonde's comprehension. "Exactly!"

But then Glinda shook her head, her blond curls bouncing. "But I don't understand, Elphie. These people seem nice enough-"

Elphaba then took her dainty white hands and held them tightly in her vice-like grip. "Glinda, throughout my life I have learned to trust _no one_. Except when I met you…and…and Fiyero."

Glinda blinked in surprise. "Fiyero?"

"I trusted him at one point. I…I-" She couldn't finish and let go of her love's hands. She walked towards the bed and sat down, burying her head in her hands. She felt Glinda as she sat next to her and put her arms around her shoulders, holding her.

"I trusted him too, Elphie," the blonde whispered in her ear. "I was about to give my whole life to him when a certain green girl knocked some sense into me and whisked him away."

Elphaba smiled into her hands.

"I'm just as confused as you are about this, Elphie. We have to work this out, together. Always together."

The green woman looked up to meet her love's determined blue eyes. "Always."

Glinda smiled and gave her a light kiss on her cheek. "We both are just a bit…overwhelmed by all of this. Let's figure out more about where we are before we jump to any conclusions."

"All I know is we're not in Oz anymore," Elphaba said. "And the mere thought of it is overwhelming in itself."

Glinda nodded. "I didn't know such a land like this existed. The Land of Zo."

"Apparently they know about Oz."

"Not really," Glinda corrected her gently. "Only the Great Witch knew about Oz, not the sisters. She told us she was born there, remember?"

"I remember. But why in Oz did they want the Grimmerie?"

"I have no idea. But that's not important-"

"Right," Elphaba quickly said. "I must come up with a counter-spell to get back home."

Glinda blinked at her, her face suddenly going blank.

Elphaba waved her hand in front of her love's vacant face, trying to get her back to the here and now. "Hello? Glinda?"

"A c-counter-spell?"

"That's right," Elphaba said, growing a bit concerned with Glinda's still-vacant look. "What's wrong with that?"

"I-I used a spell to get here, Elphaba."

Elphaba blinked in surprise. "Really? I didn't know you could read spells! Why didn't you tell me this earlier-"

"No," Glinda said, her high voice uncharacteristically low. "You read it."

"Huh? I don't remember reading any spell-"

"How can you? You were dying."

Elphaba was still confused. "What does this have to do with getting back to Oz?"

"The piece of paper with the spell on it…it had…"

"Tell me, Glinda. You're beginning to scare me."

"It had a reverse side. I-I think it was the counter-spell."

Elphaba suddenly stood up, a smile on her face. "That's great! Where is it?"

"That's the problem. When you were out, I kinda…lost it."

She didn't give a chance for the green woman to respond as she hurriedly continued,

"I didn't _lose_ it. That wasn't the right word. I…well,"

"Lost it," Elphaba sighed, sitting back down on the bed. "This little piece of information is very uplifting, Glinda," she growled sarcastically.

Glinda didn't know what to say.

"We have to find it; it is our only chance of seeing Oz again," Elphaba said, getting up and walking towards the wardrobe near the entrance of the room.

Glinda got up after her, still speechless. She felt useless, as if it was her fault the page was supposedly the only way they could go back to Oz. "Um,"

"I suppose you can't enchant another pair of shoes like you did for that little farm girl, right? You know, the 'three clicks and you're home' thing," Elphaba asked her, her back still to the blonde as she opened the wardrobe, revealing a lengthy gray dress that caught her eye.

Glinda shook her head. "I don't have my wand. I left it in the closet back in Oz."

Elphaba let out a heavy sigh and took out the dress, fingering its fabric. It was soft, as if it had been used a long time ago. She then started to take off the pink frock she was wearing.

"Maybe they still have the page?" Glinda offered, trying hard not to help Elphaba out of her clothing, as she always did back in Oz.

"I doubt it." She slipped on the gray dress and admired its comfortable feel along her legs and skin, as if it were made just for her.

"What are you doing?" Glinda asked her, noticing her green love starting to fold up the dress.

"What did you really expect? That I would go back there in this pink thing? I think I have learned enough from you that pink clashes hideously with green."

"But pink goes good with green," Glinda whined, putting herself in Elphaba's arms.

"No, I think the correct term is that _blonde_ goes good with green," Elphaba chuckled, hugging her love tightly.

Glinda sighed in contentment. She loved being enveloped in these strong, lean arms. "I stand corrected. I love you, Elphie."

Elphaba stroked her hair lovingly. "Don't worry, Glinda. I'll find us a way to get out of here and back home. Soon."

***

The Great Witch stared at the place the two girls left a few moments earlier. She narrowed her eyes. She knew Elphaba well enough to know that this wasn't just a mere headache.

"I wasn't surprised they left," Bolynda said after a bite of her green-colored Zoian casserole. "Judging by her thoughts, Glinda was a little more than eager to leave the room."

"Bolynda!" Zafryna growled. "Stop reading other people's thoughts, please!"

"I second that notion," Frynda added, glaring at her blue sister's direction.

"Girls," the Great Witch sighed. "Not now."

Bolynda shrugged.

"Do you think bringing Elphaba here was a good idea?" Frynda asked the Great Witch suddenly. "She did look a little overwhelmed."

"That is my fear," the pale woman admitted. "But I thought I knew her so well…"

"Well? You only knew her for a few hours," Bolynda said. "And all I know about Elphaba is sexual, courtesy of her girlfriend. And trust me, it's not pretty…"

"No one asked you about Glinda's thoughts," Zafryna growled. "Come to think of it, no one asked you about _anything_."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," Bolynda said, reading Zafryna's mind with ease. "Is it just me, or are you a little moodier than usual?"

"It's you," Zafryna said, getting up. "May I be excused? Please?"

The Great Witch nodded, too preoccupied to deal with the girls' bickering. Zafryna left the dining room in a huff, her angry stomps echoing against the cavernous walls of the hallway.

"At least she said please," Bolynda said. "Salt, Frynda."

Frynda looked at her.

"Please?"

The younger red-skinned woman handed her sister the salt shaker. "At least she said please," she mocked her.

Bolynda stuck out her tongue and generously added some salt to her green-colored casserole. At Frynda's curious look at the amount she explained, "It needed a little salt. Zafryna always forgets the salt."

"You're always so mean to her," Frynda told her, adding a bit of salt to her own casserole.

"It isn't like she's so lovey-dovey to me either, little sister."

Frynda gave her a sidelong glance. "Can you at least try to be civil, though?"

Bolynda took a second to answer, much to Frynda's frustration. "I'll try. As long as she starts putting salt in the food again. So what if she has a sudden salt allergy? The rest of us aren't as fickle as dear _Zafryna_."

Frynda rolled her eyes and glanced at the silent Great Witch. She was ignoring them, lost in her own memories and salt-less Zoian casserole.

***

Zafryna stormed down the hall, her emerald eyes blazing.

_I loathe her, I loathe her, I loathe her-_

"I must come up with a counter spell to get back home."

She stopped outside the newcomers' door. She heard Elphaba's voice float through the wooden door and Glinda's muffled reply,

"A c-counter spell?"

"That's right." A pause. "What's wrong with that?"

"I-I used a spell to get here, Elphaba."

Zafryna's hair stood at the back of her neck. So_ that's_ how they got here. She then remembered something she had found earlier that day and her dress pocket suddenly felt a few pounds heavier.

She was too busy worrying that she had missed the next few lines of the newcomers' conversation.

"What does this have to do with getting back to Oz?" Elphaba sounded annoyed.

_Getting back to Oz?_ Zafryna thought, her eyes narrowing as she pressed her ear closer to the door. _But they just got here..._

A few muffled mumblings then Glinda's voice rang loudly enough; even her sisters and the Great Witch down the hall could hear if they listen:

"It had a reverse side. I-I think it was the counter spell."

Zafryna blinked in surprise and detached herself from the door. She reached inside her dress pocket and removed the weathered sheet of paper she had found earlier laying on the ground. She could tell it was from the Grimmerie, with its frayed purple coloring and silver script-ish lettering. She had supposed that this was the page the Great Witch was looking for, with its small '350' on the bottom right hand corner.

With a gulp, she turned it over. Reading the title softly to herself, she murmured,

"Dom kytien readen."

_Homing Spell Reversal._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Elphaba reluctantly pulled away from Glinda.

"C'mon. I have a strange green blob calling my name back down the hall."

Glinda giggled. "It's actually quite delicious if you get past the fact that it's green."

Elphaba blinked. "Green on the outside and delicious on the inside?"

"Sound familiar?" Glinda kissed her. "How's the headache?"

Elphaba smiled and returned her kiss. "What headache?"

"That's my girl," Glinda told her softly. "Have I told you that I love you today?"

"A few minutes ago, actually."

"I love you."

"And I love you too."

Glinda then looked at her up and down, as if she was examining her. "And I love how that dress looks on you. Makes you look even sexier than before."

Elphaba raised a brow and laughed. "I gotta have a talk with Bolynda to know what goes on in your little blonde head!"

Glinda smacked her arm affectionately. "If she can get past yours I'll find out too, you know."

"_If _she can get past mine. My head is a pretty complicated place."

"Hey, nothing a little blonde like me can't handle."

"That's a big understatement, my love." Elphaba laughed again. "What are we still doing here? Let's go!"

Together they left the room. Elphaba noticed a shape swiftly walking away from them, and she recognized the pale yellow hair almost immediately.

"Zafryna!" she called out to her.

The woman froze and stiffly turned around to face them. Her emerald eyes were unreadable. "Hello, Elphaba. Glinda."

"Dinner's over already?" Glinda groaned.

Zafryna shook her head. "For me, yes. My sisters and the Great Witch are still down there. I-I have to go." Not giving them a chance to respond, she quickly turned around and walked away from them.

Elphaba looked at Glinda, who shrugged. They continued to walk down the hall, deciding to ignore Zafryna's strange behavior for now. Holding on to the railing, the two girls climbed down the stairs, where they could hear voices echoing from the dining room.

The voices suddenly stopped as they entered the room. For a moment there was an uneasy silence as Elphaba seated Glinda then herself.

"It's about time you two showed up," Bolynda said, breaking the silence. "I was starting to suspect something else."

Frynda, who had been staring at Elphaba, snapped out of her reverie. She shot Bolynda a look.

"What?" Bolynda said, shrugging. "I can't help it." She then handed Elphaba the salt shaker.

"What for?" the green girl asked her, taking the shaker.

"Trust me, you'll need it." Bolynda then took a bite out of her casserole, finishing her plate. She then pushed the plate aside and stood up. She was looking at Elphaba, who still appeared a bit baffled by the salt shaker. She then glanced over at the Great Witch, who hasn't spoken a word ever since the two girls came in a few minutes earlier. Not by using her powers, just her basic instincts, she could tell that something was on the Great Witch's mind.

"If her Highness will excuse us," Bolynda asked, grabbing Frynda's red arm. "We will be getting ready for the night."

"But I'm not-"

Bolynda shot her a glare that cut off the younger woman's words in an instant.

"You are excused," the Great Witch said, her voice lower than usual. With that Bolynda pulled her sister out of the dining room.

The three of them were left alone, an unsettling silence coming over them.

Elphaba then added a bit of salt to her casserole. She then took a taste and grimaced. "Ugh, salty."

Glinda then picked off a green piece off her plate and tasted it. "Elphie, it's fine."

"You can have it." Elphaba pushed the plate towards her, growing increasingly wary under the Great Witch's scrutinizing gaze.

The Great Witch stared at Elphaba, her eyes narrowed. _Out of all of them, why did she have to pick _that_ one? _She thought angrily.

"Is there…something the matter?" Elphaba asked her, noticing her stare.

Glinda looked questioningly at the pale woman then down at Elphaba's plate in front of her. Suddenly she didn't feel so hungry.

"Why are you wearing that dress?"

Glinda's head snapped up at the Great Witch's abrupt question.

Elphaba blinked a few times. "M-me?"

The Great Witch put her palms on the table and slowly rose from her seat. It looked like she was having great difficulty. Elphaba quickly got up to help her and so did Glinda, but the Great Witch held out a white hand to stop them.

"Take it off."

"Excuse me?" Elphaba was growing annoyed at the woman's cryptic behavior.

"I said take it off." The Great Witch's voice was strained.

"Your Highness," Glinda argued, "you can't be serious-"

"Damnit, take it off!" The Great Witch started to make her way around to table towards Elphaba. The green woman took a couple of steps backwards until she hit the far wall.

"Elphie!" Glinda made a move towards Elphaba but suddenly felt something tug her back. She struggled against it but it was as if an invisible force held her in place.

Elphaba realized what was happening. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Let her go," she growled.

The Great Witch kept glowering at her, her steely gray eyes never leaving her dress. "You don't know how much restraint I am showing by just keeping your girlfriend in check, Miss Elphaba Thropp."

"I said let her go!" Elphaba's mind started to reel with spells and chants she had learned from the Grimmerie, but somehow none of them came to mind. They just kept flying past her. She knew they were there, but she couldn't access them. Her brown eyes flashed as she glared at the woman who stood a few inches away from her face.

_She's holding me back,_ Elphaba thought in frustration. _She's blocking my access to the spells._

"Release your hold on my mind!" she spat at the woman.

The Great Witch smirked. "I knew you were going to figure out sooner or later. You're a smart girl. Why don't you try and block me?"

Elphaba could feel herself getting weaker as she tried to push past the pale woman's mental barriers.

Glinda watched this silent battle with tears streaming down her face. She could tell Elphaba was in pain by the way her upper lip curled, revealing her teeth. Again she struggled against the magical restraints on her, but to no avail. The Great Witch was far too powerful.

"Elphie!" Glinda cried again, snapping her out of her trance.

With a cry of rage, Elphaba tackled the Great Witch, momentarily breaking her concentration. Mentally, the Great Witch might be more powerful; but physically, Elphaba had the upper hand. She clasped her hands around the pale woman's thin neck, strangling her. She could feel the woman start to growl. Wait…_growl?_

The Great Witch seethed in anger at this sudden turn of events. Feeling Elphaba's hands choking her neck was annoying her to no end. She let out a shriek and grabbed Elphaba's legs that were straddling her to the ground. Elphaba let out a cry as she felt several sharp pains go up her legs as the Great Witch's nails dug in to her skin.

"I really, _really _didn't want to do this to you," the Great Witch hissed as she used Elphaba's distraction to her advantage. "But you left me no choice."

The Great Witch removed her hands from Elphaba's legs and grabbed her arms, flipping her off her stomach before the green woman had a chance to retaliate. Elphaba crashed unto the table, breaking it in half by the sheer force the woman had exerted on her. In an instant she fell unconscious.

"Elphaba!" Glinda couldn't take it anymore. "Let me go!" she screamed.

"_Let me go!!_"

Elphaba's eyes flickered at the sound of Glinda's voice. Her head felt like it had burst open. It took her her all to keep conscious. She spotted the Great Witch get up off the floor and walk towards Glinda, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh no, you bitch," Elphaba growled to herself. "You're mine."

She struggled to get up, but collapsed as pain shot up her legs. It felt like a thousand needles had suddenly decided to embed themselves in her muscles. _What in hell..?_

"Ah, so you've decided to rejoin us."

Elphaba's head snapped up to see the Great Witch sneer down at her. Her eyes were glowing with an odd, off-white color, as if they were glowing with contempt.

"What have you done to my legs?" Elphaba snarled.

The Great Witch then looked at her hands, her eyes suddenly losing their glow. "Sweet Lurline, what have I done?" she whispered to herself.

Elphaba then spotted Glinda and gasped. The blonde was sprawled on the ground, her eyes tightly closed shut.

"Oh no, Glinda!" Elphaba screamed. She dragged herself forwards and pushed the Great Witch to the side. "Get away from me, you bitch!" The pale woman didn't even react. She let herself fall towards the ground, still staring at her hands.

Tears burning their way down her face, Elphaba made her way towards Glinda.

"Please, please, Glinda, don't be-"

"_Hold it right there!_"

Elphaba froze as Bolynda's voice filled the room. The blue woman had returned, along with Frynda. The red woman gasped at the sight.

"What happened?" Frynda looked around the room. She spotted Elphaba on the floor with Glinda and her amber eyes opened wide.

Bolynda narrowed her eyes. "Do you have to ask?"

The Great Witch started to get up again.

"I said _hold it!_" Bolynda shouted at her, running over to her and grabbing her shoulders. "I think these girls have had enough of you!"

The Great Witch didn't respond to Bolynda's commanding tone. She continued to stare at her hands, tears starting to fall from her pale face. With a nod to Frynda, she pushed the catatonic Great Witch towards the kitchen and away from the other girls.

Frynda rushed towards Elphaba and Glinda, her brows pulled together in worry. She now understood what happened. She had hoped this wouldn't happen. Not this early.

Elphaba was sobbing into Glinda's chest, the clothing catching her tears before they burned her sensitive skin.

"Elphaba…," Frynda murmured sympathetically. "She's not dead."

Elphaba looked up at her, her eyes red and swollen. She had red stains where her tears had fallen. "She's gone! I…It's all my fault!" she bent her head again and buried herself against Glinda's chest, her body shaking with sobs.

Frynda dared to touch her shoulder. "She's not dead," she told the green woman again, but it seemed as if she didn't hear her.

"I'm so sorry!" Elphaba gasped between sobs. "I'm s-so sorry!" She held onto her love's chest, wishing she could just die with her. Then her head snapped up with a sudden realization.

Frynda was getting tired of this. She was going to try once again, and if Elphaba didn't listen to her this time she swore by the Named God she would-

Elphaba cut off her thoughts as she started to get up, her wobbly legs barely holding her up. She could barely feel them anymore. Not that she would need to feel them where she was going. She stumbled away from Frynda and Glinda's body, holding onto the wall for support.

"Elphaba, what are you doing?" the red woman asked as she got up from the floor. She started to follow the green woman out of the dining room.

Elphaba's lack of response was getting her extremely worried. Frynda attempted to grab Elphaba's shoulder to turn her back around but she was shrugged off. It was if she was in some kind of trance.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Elphaba once again ignored Frynda as she dragged herself up the stairs one step at a time.

"Elphaba, your legs!"

"Leave me alone!" Elphaba spat over her shoulder as she disappeared into the stairwell.

Frynda figured she couldn't stop the green woman and decided to wake Glinda before Elphaba got drastic.

***

Bolynda shoved the Great Witch into the kitchen and closed the door behind her. She usually wasn't the one to take care of this, Zafryna was, but she reckoned she was as good as nobody.

The Great Witch was still looking at her hands, mumbling incoherent thoughts. Bolynda closed her eyes and summoned her strength.

_How did Zafryna do this?_ She thought. _What did she say? Think, Bolynda, think. _

"Rythin," Bolynda started shakily, feeling her magic starting to take hold. "Yemit jaert loben."

This was an advanced spell, but Bolynda had watched her sister perform this several times when her mother got like this and had a good idea of it. The blue woman snapped her fingers and as if she was suddenly splashed with cold water, the Great Witch jumped.

"What? What h-happened?" the Great Witch stammered, looking around the kitchen.

"You know what happened," Bolynda said, crossing her arms.

The Great Witch's shoulders suddenly slumped. "Oh no."

"Oh no is right." Bolynda stared at her mother. "What triggered it this time?"

"That dress," the pale woman said, and then her voice grew cold as ice. "She shouldn't be wearing that dress."

Bolynda blinked. "That ugly gray one? The one bullet girl was wearing?"

"Elphaba shouldn't have been wearing that dress!" The Great Witch slammed her fist against the wooden counter next to her and Bolynda jumped at the anger in her mother's voice.

"Hey, hey now," Bolynda warned her, grabbing her mother's shaking shoulders before she could do anything else. "How could she have known?"

"She was drawn to it, I am sure." The Great Witch shook her head. "I should have remembered it was in her room."

For once Bolynda wished she could read her mother's mind. "You gave her a nasty wound," she told her, flexing her fingers.

The Great Witch then looked at her hands again. "Sweet Lurline, I did, didn't I? Bolynda, we have to get her the antidote. Immediately."

Bolynda blinked. "We used it all, remember? Or did I forget we had to help get a bullet out of the girl in question's chest earlier today?"

The Great Witch buried her head in her hands. "I…I have to get to her. I know what to do."

"She's not going to want to see you anytime soon."

The Great Witch looked at the blue girl, confused.

"You kinda killed her girlfriend."

The pale woman blinked a few times, as if she was letting the information sink in one word at a time. "Glinda?" she finally managed to get out.

Bolynda nodded.

"I didn't kill her."

"She looked pretty dead to me."

"I didn't kill her."

Bolynda blinked at her mother's denial. "I couldn't read her thoughts, _mother_," she growled, a little angrily. There's only a few times Bolynda would use the term 'mother' for the Great Witch and it is only when she is growing angry with the woman.

"I put her to sleep."

"Oh."

_Well that makes sense…,_ Bolynda thought, wanting to hit herself.

"She's in a deep unconscious state. Even when I'm like…_that_," The Great Witch shuddered. "I would never try to kill anyone."

"Even Elphaba?"

The Great Witch closed her eyes. _Especially Elphaba,_ she thought, silently glad her daughter couldn't read her mind.

"You were out of control. You could have killed them both," Bolynda told her, her blue eyes flashing. "These episodes are getting worse and worse."

The Great Witch nodded. "I am working on it. I have been under a lot of stress lately, Bolynda."

The blue woman arched her brows at her mother's tired tone. Before she could say anything, however, the Great Witch walked a few paces towards the door. She then turned around and put her hand on Bolynda's shoulder.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Thank you for taking charge instead of calling Zafryna. You are growing up to be a fine witch."

Bolynda gave her a small smile. Inside, however, her thoughts of leaving Zo for Oz stayed strong. She needed to find a way to get away from her mother's world and most of all…her mother.

"I have to see Elphaba," the Great Witch said to her, opening the door. "I have to tell her something I should have told her a long time ago."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! You don't know how happy they make me! :D**

**To express my gratitution, I'm offering up my services to make avatars for anybody who needs one. If you like the ones I'm using, don't hesitate to PM me to make one for you or request one that I've used before. I've already done a couple for fellow FFnet-izens like you. Check out MorsDelecti's profile. Her avatar is one I custom made for her.**

**When--I mean if--you PM me for an avatar request, just tell me what you want on it, like maybe Elphaba or Glinda (or both) or maybe something else entirely. Tell me of you want certain phrases or even your penname on it.**

**OR you could just tell me to wing it and create something totally new. That's always fun. :)**

**Enjoy this new chappie~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 10

Elphaba collapsed at the top of the stairs, her breathing heavy and erratic. She gritted her teeth against the pain and the numbness that started to creep up her spine.

_You are weak,_ she thought to herself.

She then closed her eyes, suddenly thinking of Glinda.

_Because of my weakness, she was taken away from me. I was too weak to save her. Father was right. I have always been a failure…_

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand before they could sting.

_I loved her. The only person I have let into my life and I've lost her. Damnit, I've lost her!_

She abruptly stopped herself before she could get any angrier. The green woman didn't want to get herself worked up just yet. With a groan, she dragged herself along the hallway. The sooner she got this over with the better.

_No second-guessing, Elphaba,_ she told herself angrily, _Glinda will be waiting for you when you are done._

She looked around the hallway. _There has to be a bathroom around here somewhere…_

***

Zafryna stared at the piece of paper she held in front of her, deep in thought. She was sitting on her bed in the room she shared with her sisters. She put the paper on her lap, burying her head in her hands.

_I can't do it._

She shook her head and reached for her looking glass, which lay next to her lap. She picked it up and stroked its smooth surface, mesmerized at the way the light from the window reflected into the glass.

She couldn't remember how she got the glass, but one thing was for certain. The looking glass was one of the only things she had that reminded her that she had a past. A past she couldn't recall.

Frustrated, she placed the looking glass back at her side. She couldn't remember _anything_. It was as if she was under a spell. A Forgetting Spell.

Suddenly she snapped her fingers at her realization.

"That's it," she said to herself. "I am under a spell."

She grabbed the looking glass again and looked deep into it. "My looking glass, tell me what I need to know. Tell me if I am under a spell."

She felt silly talking to a piece of glass, but she wouldn't have cared less. This wasn't the first time she was talking to her glass.

At first the image was hazy, but Zafryna could tell the glass had an answer for her. She smiled as the image began to clear, but then abruptly frowned.

"What the hell?" she asked. She was never one to cuss, but her glass has never failed her before.

She shook it, hoping it was just having an off day. She looked at it again, narrowing her eyes as she tried to see inside of the crystal glass.

"That is not an answer," she growled to it. The image inside the glass was that of a man. He was tall and dark-skinned and was uniformed. Zafryna could tell he was riding in some sort of carriage by the way his body and head jerked this way and that.

"What does he have to do with anything?" Zafryna asked the crystal ball, but she knew it wasn't going to reply anytime soon. She let out a frustrated huff and set it off to the side. She picked up the paper from her lap and read it again.

"Dom kytien readen," she muttered to herself. "Homing spell reversal. Well, I _am_ home." She looked around the room.

"At least I think so." Her voice lowered a bit.

She then stroked her angular chin in thought. "What if the Grimmerie had some sort of Teleportation Spell I could use instead of this one?" she mused.

Looking at the paper in front of her, she doubted it. The Great Witch would not have searched for this one piece of paper if she had known there was another spell. And, as the Great Witch put it herself, she knew the Grimmerie 'like the back of her hand'.

Zafryna looked once again at the frayed paper, an uncertain gleam in her emerald eyes. "If I leave Zo to go to Oz," she said to herself, "I'm taking the only chance those girls have with me."

She bowed her head in defeat.

"I can't do it."

Suddenly she heard a moan coming from the bathroom next to the room. It sounded like someone in pain. Without a second thought Zafryna got up from the bed and pressed her ear against the thin wall. She placed a lock of light yellow hair behind her ear as she listened.

She heard the sound of running water and the light twisting of a faucet.

_C'mon, say something…_she thought impatiently, wanting to know who was in the bathroom. She really wasn't the nosy type, but the moan she heard earlier had concerned her.

When she did hear speaking, her jaw dropped.

"E-Elphaba?" she stuttered. "What is she doing with water? I thought she was-"

Then it hit her.

"Oh no. _Elphaba!_"

Not wasting another second of precious time, she ran out of the door.

***

"Sire,"

Fiyero looked up, his expression tired and grim.

"What do you want?"

The Gale Force soldier that had opened the carriage door shuffled nervously outside. "Um, we have arrived, your Ozness."

The dark-skinned man grimaced and stood up, stretching his sore muscles and cracking his neck and fingers. The guard in front of him flinched at the harsh sound.

Fiyero studied him. "Well, what are you standing around for? Notify the captain of the Emperor's arrival!"

"He has been notified, your Ozness."

"Humph," was all Fiyero said as he jumped out of the carriage. He fixed his green uniform and adjusted the OZ sign on his belt.

Another soldier ran up to him, panting and out of breath.

"H-He's ready for y-you, sire!" he stuttered.

Fiyero narrowed his blue eyes. "Who?"

"T-the Minister!"

The Emperor blinked in his brief surprise, and then shook his head. He had forgotten about his meeting with the Minister of Munchkinland. That boring old man always had to ruin his fun.

"Sire?"

The first soldier looked at him quizzically.

"Go, go," Fiyero dismissed them. "Make sure my way is clear."

The soldiers nodded and together they ran ahead of him, their green uniforms melting into the darkness of the upcoming night.

Suddenly a figure walked up beside him. Fiyero startled, dropping his rifle. It went off with a bang, also startling the figure beside him.

The whole scene erupted in chaos. Soldiers started to appear from the carriage behind Fiyero and the cavalry around him. Horses whinnied and hooves galloped as soldiers whirled around to see what was going on, rifles pointed out of pure instinct.

Fiyero quickly gathered his own senses and grabbed his own rifle, pointing it at the figure. With a sigh, he realized it was only Commander Rayne. He lowered his rifle and as if it was an order, the rest of the guards around him did also.

"I'm s-sorry," the commander stammered.

Suddenly Fiyero pointed the rifle at him again, this time closer to his face. The commander let out a startled yelp and stepped backwards.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again," the Emperor snarled, his blue eyes narrowing as he touched the barrel of the rifle against the commander's nose. "Understood?"

"Very m-much so, sir," gulped Commander Rayne and it looked like if Fiyero hadn't put down the rifle a few moments later, he would have peed right into his pants.

Fiyero then looked at the soldiers around him, who appeared to be quite flummoxed.

"Well what are you all standing around here for? Let's go."

***

Fiyero yawned from his place on the green throne.

The man in front of him droned on and on about how Munchkinland's exports have decreased due to the major drought that had hit not too long ago.

_Yeah, yeah, whatever…_Fiyero thought lazily.

"Okay, what else? I am a very busy man."

The Minister looked at him a bit uncertainly, as if he was unsure that he could go on without putting the Emperor to sleep.

"Spit it out already! I haven't got all day…" He glanced at the window next to him. Night has fallen over Oz. "Er, night."

The Munchkinlander rubbed his hands together as he looked up at the younger man. "This concerns the impending governship of Munchkinland, your Ozness."

Fiyero rolled his eyes. _Why do they keep insisting that they have a Governor when they already have me? _He thought_. Great Oz, politics baffle me in more ways than one. _

"Yeah? So?" he asked, raising a brow.

"We need your input on whom to choose, your Ozness."

Fiyero blinked. "Who do you have in mind?"

The Minister looked up at him. "We only have one eligible candidate."

Fiyero rolled his eyes again. "Then why the fuss? Pick him."

"But, sir, you see-"

Fiyero stood up. He has had enough of this. "What are you harping about, old man? Pick the lad and go home!" No wonder Munchkinland was his least favorite part of Oz. Especially now that a particular Munchkinlander has abandoned him for a _woman_…

He took a deep breath in order to stop himself from punching the window next to him in frustration.

"Sir," the Minister croaked, wary of the Emperor's temper. "He's only sixteen."

Fiyero looked at him, his blue eyes glazed over in his fury. "Pick. The. Damn. Boy."

"But-"

"Shuddup!" Fiyero raised his voice loud enough that a couple of guards had to peek in to make sure the Throne Room was still in order.

"I am tired of hearing your stupid rants! I have already told you what I thought; now go home!"

The Minister looked like he was about to explode. He wasn't going to let someone his minor talk to him like that and get away unscathed. "See here-"

"I have seen enough! Go home!"

The Minister would not relent. He opened his mouth to say something else but as soon as he did, Fiyero gave him a death glare.

"_That's an order._"

Suddenly guards appeared on either side of the Minister, grabbing his arms.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Minister howled.

"Nighty night," Fiyero told him as he motioned the guards to take him away.

The Minister shouted obscenities at the top of his lungs as the Gale Force guards dragged him away and out of the door.

Fiyero crinkled his brow. _Did I hear what I _thought_ I heard? Did he just say Thropp?_

That just got him worked up again. He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot out of pure aggravation. The captain saw him do this when he peeked into the room after the Minister and the guards had left. He raised a brow, thinking the Emperor was having some kind of fit.

"Fiyero?" he asked him.

The dark-skinned man looked up and saw his long-time friend. He gave him a small smile. "Avaric."

The blonde man chuckled and closed the door behind him. "I think you have just lost Munchkinland there."

"He was tiring me," Fiyero whined as he sat back down on his throne. He started to absentmindedly trace over his blue tattoos on his hands as Avaric walked up to him.

"You get tired of everyone, Fiyero," the captain chuckled. He was the only one who still calls him by his real name ever since he had taken up the position of Emperor.

"I can't help it. I was never made for this kind of thing."

Avaric smiled at his friend. "Soon enough, my friend. Soon enough." He then frowned as Fiyero buried his face into his hands. "Did something happen on the mission?"

Fiyero sighed and looked up at the uniformed man. "Yes. I saw them."

"Who?"

"Elphaba and Glinda."

Avaric blinked in surprise. He hasn't heard the name Elphaba in a long time. Could the Wicked Witch of the West be alive somehow? And Glinda, whose mysterious death is still under investigation?

"No."

"Yes, Avaric," Fiyero sighed. "They're still alive and…" he then slammed his fist against the throne's green armrest.

"And what?" asked Avaric quietly, still quite taken aback with the news that both of the witches of Oz were still alive.

"And together."

Avaric was still confused. "Together as in…?"

"A couple, Avaric. They're a couple."

The man took off his hat and ran his fingers through his short, cropped blonde hair. "Great Oz. That's hard to imagine."

Fiyero had buried his head back into his hands. "I know." His voice was laced with sorrow.

The captain blinked, feeling sorry for his friend. Both of those girls had been with Fiyero at some point in their lives, not to mention Glinda with Avaric for a time.

Fiyero suddenly stood up, startling Avaric.

"Fiyero…?"

"I have to do something."

"What do you mean?" Avaric asked him, a blonde brow raised in a quizzical fashion.

"I can't just let them get on with their lives and just forget about me. Oz damnit I still love Elphaba!"

Avaric had always been a little uncomfortable that the Emperor had feelings for the Wicked Witch of the West, but he had always thought they had been quelled when she died.

Apparently not.

Fiyero started to pace, his green cape billowing behind him. "I have to do something," he kept muttering to himself over and over.

"What are you going to do?" Avaric asked him.

"Something. Anything."

Avaric was growing tired of watching his friend pace and got closer to put a firm arm on his shoulder. "You're going to wear yourself out, Fiyero. You should get some rest, you look like shit." He smiled at him.

Fiyero blinked at his friend, not in the mood for playful jabs. "Avaric, you have to help me."

"Help you?"

"Yes. Help me come up with something."

Avaric could only stare into his friend's dark blue eyes. He couldn't disobey Fiyero. After all, he _is _the Emperor of Oz. He then thought of something, a smile replacing his confused expression.

"You have a plan?" Fiyero sounded hopeful.

Avaric shook his head. "I don't, but I know someone who does. Follow me."

Without another word they left the Throne Room.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Frynda hurried towards Glinda, knowing that time was ticking by fast. She felt beads of sweat starting to gather on her forehead due to her increasing nervousness.

_Concentrate, Frynda, _she told herself._ Glinda needs you now._

Her mind had already thought of the spell she needed to use and as soon as she knelt down by the blonde's side, she put her hands on the unconscious girl's forehead and started to chant under her breath,

"Eleka garthen dormtae." She sharply exhaled when she noticed Glinda was unresponsive, so she tried again,

"Eleka garthen dormtae."

She was growing desperate. Glinda needed to wake up. She placed a red hand on Glinda's temple just to make sure she was correct. Yes, she felt her pulse beating fast and strong. So why wasn't she waking?

"Eleka garthen dormtae!"

Glinda's eyes started to flutter and Frynda smiled.

"Glinda,"

The blonde's blue eyes then flickered open as she gasped in air. She spotted the auburn-haired woman hovering above her and she tilted her head to the side.

"Elphie?" Her voice was laced with drowsiness.

Frynda blushed as she shook her head. "N-no, I'm not Elphaba. I'm Frynda."

Glinda looked up at the ceiling, her eyes still not quite focused. "Why am I on the floor?"

"You-"

"Oh sweet Oz!" Glinda gasped as abruptly she sat up, startling Frynda. "Elphie! Where is she?"

"That's the problem. She thinks you're-"

"Oh Oz." Glinda stood, not waiting for Frynda to assist her. She looked around as the red woman stood next to her. "Where is she?" Her voice was getting panicky.

"I-I'm not sure," Frynda stammered.

"We need to find her. Immediately."

"I'll go with you."

The new voice made both of the girls turn around.

Glinda let out a gasp and took a few steps backwards. "G-get away from me!"

The Great Witch sighed. "Glinda, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Bolynda appeared behind her as Glinda grabbed Frynda's arm. "Where's the bathroom?" she asked the red woman, still staring at the Great Witch.

Frynda raised a brow. Why would Glinda need to go to the bathroom at a time like this? Wasn't she looking for Elphaba?

"Upstairs, second door to your left," the Great Witch told her helpfully, but the blonde just stared at her like she was some sort of monster.

Glinda kept staring at her for a second before pulling Frynda towards the direction of the stairs.

The red woman could not help but to be dragged by the blonde. "What are you doing?" she hissed at her.

"She has done this before. I might need some magical help. We have to hurry before it is too late-" she choked on the last word as she started to ascend the stairs. Looking over her shoulder, Frynda mouthed a 'help' at the Great Witch, who shrugged as she silently followed the pair up the stairwell.

Bolynda lingered back, figuring this is now or never. With the rest of the household occupied, she could escape. This was her chance.

She needed to find Zafryna. She would know what to do.

***

Elphaba quietly opened the bathroom door, not wanting to alert anyone if they were looking for her. She glanced around the room before closing the door, making sure what she needed was there. It was.

Softly she closed the door behind her. Suddenly she let out a moan as pain shot up her leg. She had shut the door on one of her injured legs. Her eyes watering in pain, she gingerly opened the door and took her leg out, the numbness starting to recede. She needed to do this before the pain becomes too much to bear.

Elphaba limped towards the tub, gripping its sides tightly with her hands. She closed her eyes, holding back tears and biting her lip until it bled. She needed to do this. She had to.

She climbed into the tub, feeling its unfamiliar porcelain walls against her green skin. She crawled towards one end, away from the faucet. She had thought about taking off her dress, but had decided against it. The dress was the cause of this whole mess anyways.

She reached over to the faucet handle, lingering over it for a second.

_What the hell are you doing? Get out of there! _

She ignored her conscious as she twisted the faucet, watching the water as it started to pour into the tub. She flinched as she felt misty drops land on her skin.

"I'm coming for you, my love," she whispered into the air, wincing as the water started to run unto her green legs. It brought sharp pains, bringing her legs back from a previously numb state.

_Get out, get out, get out!_

Her conscious was screaming at her. She tuned it out, focusing on the task. The water wasn't filling fast enough. As she reached over to twist the faucet again, she heard the door open. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She was caught.

"What are you doing?"

It was Zafryna.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. Over all of the people, why did it have to be her? She decided to ignore her and grimaced as the water reached her thighs.

"You're burning yourself!"

Zafryna hurried to the green woman's side, but Elphaba brushed her off. She tried to get up in order to move to the other side away from the other woman, but one of her legs gave out, causing her to slip further into the tub. Elphaba let out a cry as water splashed unto her back, the thin dress she was wearing not providing the necessary protection against the liquid.

"Elphaba!"

"Leave me alone!" the green woman hissed at Zafryna. "Don't you see that I have nothing else to live for?"

"What do you mean?"

Elphaba's expression twisted in pain as Zafryna grabbed her arms, attempting to lift her out of the rising water. She struggled against the younger woman's grip, but Zafryna stayed firm.

"Let me go!"

"I will not let you kill yourself, Elphaba!" Zafryna shouted at her, heaving upwards.

Elphaba grabbed the sides of the tub with all the strength she had, feeling her nails dig uselessly against the smooth porcelain.

"I said! Let! Me! Go!" Elphaba's command came out in short gasps.

"_No!_" Zafryna's was even harsher. "I will not stand here while you try to hurt yourself, Elphaba!" Without another word, she hurriedly reached over and turned off the water.

"What the hell? Turn that back on!" Elphaba was frantic.

Zafryna shook her head as she grabbed her upper arms, tugging upwards. Elphaba was stubborn, her nails leaving scratches against the white porcelain. Her legs started to thrash, both in pain and in her struggle against Zafryna's strong grip. Water started to splash everywhere, landing on both of the women as they fought, one to end her life, the other to save it.

"El-pha-ba!" Zafryna huffed as she heaved upwards. "Fucking-stop-this!"

As a desperate last attempt, Elphaba decided to turn to her last resort. Magic. What spell could she use to get rid of the woman standing in her way or better yet…kill herself faster than the water ever could? Her mind raced with spells she had learned from the Grimmerie through the years it was in her possession. One came to mind, but she couldn't…she wouldn't...

She would. For Glinda, she would do _anything_.

Elphaba took a deep breath and stopped struggling against Zafryna.

Zafryna noticed the green woman stop her struggling and she automatically feared the worst. Was the water too much for Elphaba to bear?

"Elphaba?"

Her question was unanswered. She looked down and saw that the woman's eyes were closed and her mouth moving rapidly, as if she was…

_Oh shit._

Elphaba fell limp, her skin growing a deathly pale green.

"_NO!_"

***

Glinda crashed into the bathroom, her cry echoing through the hall as Frynda came in after her.

"Get Elphaba out of that tub _NOW!_" Glinda yelled at Frynda, not wasting any time. She barely noticed Zafryna or her deathly pale look as she hurried to her love's side.

"Elphie? Elphie, open your eyes. It's me."

Elphaba didn't respond. Her head hung limply from her shoulders as Frynda and Zafryna both lifted her from the tub. They placed her on the floor and Glinda immediately draped herself over the cold, wet form of her lover.

"Elphie?! Elphie, wake up!"

Zafryna flinched against Glinda's frantic words, as if each of them were a dagger to her heart. She knew Elphaba had succeeded in her attempt to kill herself. She had used the one spell that she feared most. The Death Spell.

"_Elphaba!_"

Glinda started to sob, clutching at Elphaba's wet dress.

Zafryna felt her eyes mist over and she looked at her sister beside her. Frynda was staring at the couple on the floor; her eyes wide open in horror.

"W-what happened?" Frynda's voice was small and shaky.

"Elphaba tried to kill herself."

Frynda closed her eyes, tears running down her red cheeks. She didn't know Elphaba was going to go all the way to try and end her life. Her fists clenched as she tried hard not to break out in sobs, like Glinda. She had to stop this. There might still be hope. She had to get the Great Witch.

"I should ask _you_ what happened." Zafryna turned to her youngest sister. "Why did Elphaba do this to herself?"

Glinda's unstoppable sobbing almost drowned out Frynda's next words, but fortunately Zafryna had excellent hearing to catch it.

"She t-thought Glinda was d-dead," Frynda half-whispered, half-stammered. She was avoiding Zafryna's emerald eyes, which were growing wet with tears.

Glinda was starting to shake Elphaba, begging her to wake up.

Zafryna couldn't stand this any longer. She gently bent down and placed her hand on Glinda's back. The blonde did not respond to her touch, except to shake Elphaba even harder.

"Glinda," Zafryna whispered to her, "Glinda, listen to me."

Glinda shook her head and raised a hand to slap Elphaba in order to bring her back to this world, but Zafryna quickly grabbed her before she could do anything. She looked at Glinda until she met the blonde's tearstained blue eyes.

"Glinda, she's not going to wake up."

Glinda broke their eye contact and struggled against Zafryna's grip, not wanting to believe Zafryna. "No! She has to wake up! I can't lose her!"

Zafryna lowered her eyes and let go of Glinda's hand, deciding to leave the blonde to figure it out herself. She got up from the floor, turning away from the blonde and her unresponsive lover.

Zafryna faced Frynda, who was silently weeping into her hands. She put a hand on her younger sister's shoulder and Frynda suddenly crashed into her chest, sobbing almost as loudly as Glinda.

Zafryna blinked in her brief surprise, but then let her sisterly instincts take over as she wrapped her arms around her obviously distressed sister.

"Shh, Frynda," she soothed into her youngest sister's red ear. "Let's let her have some time alone."

"I could have stopped her!" Frynda sobbed into her sister's chest. "I-I could've-"

"Done nothing," Zafryna finished for her as she led her distraught sister out of the bathroom and into the hall. She bit her lip before continuing, "If anything_ I_ could have stopped her. I tried, but she was persistent."

"She loved Glinda," Frynda whispered. If it wasn't for Zafryna's acute hearing she should have missed it.

"She did," Zafryna agreed. "A lot. I am certain that she had killed herself in order to join Glinda in the void of death."

"Can we do something?" Frynda asked her, looking up to meet her sister's sympathetic green eyes. "Can we ask the Great Witch if she has anything that could help her?"

"I'm afraid there is nothing she could do," Zafryna said with a catch in her voice. "The spell she used was irreversible. She used the Death Spell, Frynda."

The red woman's amber eyes blinked, and then gave a loud sob as she remembered just what the Death Spell was.

"Oh n-no," she sputtered.

Zafryna gave her a nod. She didn't understand why her sister was so attached to a woman she had met that same day, but she knew of her sensitive nature and as a sister and friend, she acknowledged it accordingly.

"What will happen, Zafryna?" Frynda asked her quietly. "Will Glinda do the same thing?"

Zafryna cast a glance at the bathroom door, listening to Glinda's continuing pleas for her lover to wake up. "I'm afraid she will. We will have to stop her when she figures out Elphaba will never wake up."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Elphaba opened her eyes.

_Where am I?_

All she saw was darkness. Darkness so dark her eyes hurt from trying to stare through it. Just as quickly, the scene then quickly changed to her old dorm room. The room she used when she was at Shiz University.

"What the…?"

Her question was cut off by a very familiar sounding voice. "Well, hello there."

Elphaba jumped and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" She was growing frantic. She stumbled around the room, her legs feeling like they were on fire. There was no response. She looked around, seeing the room as she left it. Even down to her roommate's pink bedding and rack of shoes at the opposite side of the room. She then closed her eyes, not wanting to think about Glinda at that moment.

She then felt something in her hand. She looked down and there, glowing green in her palm was her bottle of Miracle Elixir. She gasped in surprise. She hasn't seen that since her supposed 'death' several years ago.

"Gimme that."

She looked up at the voice again. She then gasped again and almost dropped the bottle in her shock. She staggered backwards, but only succeeded in falling, landing hard on her bottom at the foot of Glinda's bed.

Standing over her was herself, instead the Elphaba she saw was wearing her typical Shiz uniform and the glasses she had worn all those years ago. The Shiz Elphaba looked down at herself, chuckling softly.

"Would you mind getting up off your ass and giving me back my bottle? I swear, Galinda and now you. I really have to hide it more carefully."

"W-who are you?"

"Who else do I look like? I'm green. Think about it for a minute."

Elphaba shakily stood up, all the while staring at her Shiz self.

"Now can I have that bottle? It's mine."

Elphaba looked down at the Miracle Elixir in her hand. She then wrapped her fingers around it, feeling its frayed label brush against her green skin. "No."

Shiz Elphaba narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Give. Me. That."

"No."

"C'mon, I'm going to be late for class."

Elphaba cocked her head. "Class?"

"Yes!" Shiz Elphaba's patience was running out. "Now give it to me!"

Elphaba's grip tightened around the delicate green bottle as the other version of herself stepped forward. "Tell me why I'm here and then I'll give it to you."

Shiz Elphaba gave her a shrug. "How am I supposed to know? I think I'm having some sort of hallucination right now and that hallucination has my bottle. Give it back or-"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll do something I'll regret." She had a shifty-eyed expression.

Instantly Elphaba knew what she was talking about. When she was a student at Shiz she was known for her magical unpredictability. "Okay, I'll give it to you. Just don't get angry with me."

Shiz Elphaba stared at her, narrowing her brown eyes. "Why should I trust you?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. She had almost forgotten how she had been when she was a student at Shiz University. Very wary and prickly.

"Because I am you. Don't you trust yourself?"

Shiz Elphaba's expression changed quickly, a look of sadness coming upon her strong features. "Not really. It's hard to trust yourself when so many things happen that you can't explain."

Elphaba looked at the Shiz form of herself, wondering how pathetic she must have looked like compared to herself in the future.

"But I'm soon going to change all of that," Shiz Elphaba suddenly said, excitement creeping into her voice. "I'm going to meet the Wizard soon."

"The Wizard?" Elphaba felt a sinking feeling down in her stomach at the mention of the man she hated most.

"Yes! Isn't that wonderful?"

Elphaba couldn't respond to that. She closed her eyes. "Trust me when I say he's not as wonderful as he says he is."

"That's just it," Shiz Elphaba said. "I can't trust you. He's wonderful, I tell you. And he's going to change my life. Whatever little life I have left."

Elphaba looked down once again at the green bottle. She remembered how she was when the Wizard had summoned her to see him. She had felt like she was on top of the world for once and no one could bring her down.

"Now give me my bottle. Madame Morrible is going to have my throat if I don't get to her seminar soon."

"Do you trust him?"

"Who?"

"The Wizard. Do you trust the Wizard?" Elphaba asked.

Shiz Elphaba looked at her like she had just come from the sky. Which could have might as well been the case here. "With my life. Everyone does."

Elphaba realized what the Wizard had done to her over the years. He had hardened her, made her who she is…or what will come to be the Wicked Witch of the West in her Shiz form's case.

"And when I'll go see him, I'll tell him what the Animals are going through. He will listen to me. I know he will."

Elphaba grimaced at the words coming from her own mouth. She thrust the bottle at the younger girl in front of her. "Here, take it."

Shiz Elphaba blinked in her surprise. "I-I thought you were going to protest a little bit more. After all, you are me, aren't you?"

"Just take the damn thing," Elphaba growled, feeling nausea start to overwhelm her.

Shiz Elphaba hesitated and reached out a hand to touch the bottle, but drew back as she looked at her future self a little more. "What are you wearing?"

Elphaba looked down at herself. She was wearing a thin, frayed gray dress. Suddenly it all came back to her in a rush.

"That's my mother's dress."

Elphaba looked up at the Shiz Elphaba, who had a horrified expression on her face. "Your…_our _mother?"

"Why do you have that dress?"

"I…I…" Elphaba started to panic. This dress was her mother's? What did she mean? She found this dress at the Great Witch's pala-

Her heart sank as she remembered the Great Witch and the others.

And Glinda.

She looked quickly at her Shiz self, who had been staring at her dress. "Where's Glinda?"

Shiz Elphaba shook her head, breaking out of her reverie. "Who?"

"Glinda!" Elphaba was growing angry with her other self. "Where is she?"

"_Ga_linda? I don't know," Shiz Elphaba answered her, more baffled than anything. "Why do you want to know?"

"I need to get to her, quickly!"

"She's probably with…Fiyero," Shiz Elphaba said, whispering Fiyero's name in a sadness Elphaba immediately recognized. Back in Shiz University, she had feelings for Fiyero. This only helped to increase Elphaba's nausea.

"Take the bottle."

Shiz Elphaba, not meeting her future self's brown gaze, took the offered bottle and ran out of the room.

As the door to the room slammed shut, the scene quickly changed. The dorm room disappeared and Elphaba suddenly found herself in an attic. A very familiar attic. Her fingers were once again gripped around the bottle of Miracle Elixir and she looked down at it. It was as if she had never given the bottle away.

"Elphie, listen to me!"

That voice. That lovely, sweet voice!

Elphaba looked behind her to see Glinda. She was wearing her sunny yellow dress, the one she was wearing when they had first visited the Emerald City. She was looking towards her, but not at her.

"Glinda," she breathed as she stepped towards her.

"Elphaba, listen to me!"

"I am listening, my sweet, I am," Elphaba told her as she stepped towards the blonde. Glinda then started to walk towards her, an annoyed expression on her face. Elphaba opened her arms, expecting an embrace from her love. Instead, the blonde walked right through her.

Elphaba blinked in confusion. _Did she just…walk right through me?_

She turned around. _Did she even see me?_

Elphaba looked at Glinda, who had stopped walking in front of her to stand in front of another figure. The green woman longed to reach out and touch her blonde curls as she had done so many times before, but something told her her fingers were just going to pass right through again. It was as if she wasn't even here. Yet, she was...in another form.

"You can still go back there, you know. Just say you're sorry. He'll forgive you."

"I have nothing to apologize for."

Her own voice startled Elphaba as the figure turned around. It was herself, with her familiar pointed hat over her head and her brown eyes wild with the light of youth. This was the day where she would become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West.

Elphaba backed away as Glinda tried to plead with her other self. She backed away until her back touched the door of a broom closet. She spotted her broom, her flying broom, leaning against the wall next to her. Soon, she knew, it was going to serve its purpose. She was going to defy gravity for the first time.

Why was she here? Reliving all her memories, talking with herself when she knew nothing was going to change. She had succeeded in killing herself, but Glinda wasn't here. At least a Glinda who saw her and recognized she was there.

Had she wasted her time and effort? Was Glinda somehow still alive? She shook her head. No. She saw Glinda for herself. She was dead.

"Elphie? What are you doing?"

Elphaba looked over to the pair. She knew she would be reading from the Grimmerie by now. She would be reading the Levitation Spell. By her shoulder, she saw the broomstick start to glow with the telltale light of magic. She then felt a breeze blow through her hair as it hovered past her and towards the pair.

"Sweet Oz!"

"See, Glinda? I told you! Didn't I tell you?"

"I didn't tell you anything at all," Elphaba whispered to herself. She knew this was the day she and Glinda would have to part. She had grown feelings for the blonde by then, but she wasn't sure how to tell or even express them. She looked down at the bottle of Miracle Elixir in her hand but a sudden banging broke into her thoughts.

"Open this door, in the name of his supreme Ozness!"

_Those stupid guards!_ Elphaba thought angrily. She saw herself and Glinda visibly panic.

"Oh, Elphie, are you really going to try and fly?"

"Yes. I have to."

Elphaba closed her eyes as she mouthed the next few lines that she had thought about over and over in her head.

"Glinda, come with me. Think of what we could do, together. Unlimited, together we're unlimited. Together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been, Glinda. Dreams the way we planned them…"

Tears threatened to come into Elphaba's eyes as she waited for Glinda to respond. She had hoped she had never had to relive this moment when Glinda would deny her.

"If we worked in tandem," she heard Glinda respond, "there's no fight we cannot win."

_Except our fight for life, my love,_ Elphaba thought sadly. She closed her eyes once again; not needing to see what she knew already was going to happen. She pictured Glinda and herself gripping the broom, her delicate cream-colored hands over her green hands, looking into those baby blue eyes…

She allowed herself to fall unto her knees, crying out, "Oh, Glinda…I'm so sorry!" She knew nobody will hear her. Not ever again.

"Just you and I…"

She drowned out the rest of the words, her head feeling like it about to burst open. "I'm so sorry! I have failed you! I'm sorry!"

"Well, are you coming?"

_Glinda, oh my sweet girl,_ Elphaba thought, daring to look up at her blonde love. She was looking at the floor, her expression one of great pain, as if she was fighting with herself. _Please say yes…_

But she knew what was going to happen. For several long years, this moment had haunted her every waking moment and plagued her dreams. _Glinda, please…_

"I hope you're happy…now that you're choosing this…"

_No! No, no, no!_ Elphaba gripped the bottle in her hand and raised her arm to throw it at against the wall.

"I hope this brings you bliss…"

_You fucking lair!_ The glass shattered against the wall, green shards flying everywhere. She was enraged. She was furious at herself. For lying, for giving up, for…everything.

"I hope you're happy…my friend…"

"Glinda! I love you!" Elphaba shouted, her sobs drowned out by the sound of bursting wood.

"That's her! Don't let her get away!"

Glinda looked around, confused for a second before two guards grabbed her upper arms and the rest surrounded her.

"Let go of me, do you hear? Let go of me!"

Elphaba blinked. _Did Glinda hear me?_ The guards dragged her away from Elphaba's view. "No, let go of her!"

Her words interlaced with her own. She looked up and saw herself flying above their heads on a broom. Elphaba saw herself as Glinda must have seen her that day. She seemed powerful, almost _too_ powerful. She had a wild look in her eyes and a strong defiance in her voice as she spoke over the guards and the mass of Witch Hunters that had poured into the room.

"And nobody, in all of Oz, no Wizard that there is or was, is ever gonna bring me down!"

Elphaba looked up at her younger self, hatred in her eyes and her mouth turned downwards into a scorn. _Why do I keep lying to her? To myself? Why am I such a liar?_

"I hope you're happy!"

Elphaba looked at Glinda, who had her eyes up towards the sky at her friend, her face tear-stained and body shaking in barely suppressed sobs. _Oh, Glinda, I'm so, so sorry…_

The Witch Hunters then chorused, all of their hate reflecting Elphaba's own, "look at her, she's wicked!"

"Yes, look at her," Elphaba growled to herself as she glared up at the flying figure above her. "She's wicked."

"No one mourns the wicked,"

"No one mourns the wicked," Elphaba repeated, as if it was something she knew by heart.

"So we've got to bring her-"

"Bring me-"

"Down!"

With that, Elphaba's world went black.


	13. Chapter 13

**Happy 4th of July, everyone!**

**And to those who don't celebrate the 4th of July: Happy Saturday!**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 13

Glinda fell asleep against Elphaba's chest, her body shivering.

***

She felt something prod at her shoulder. She mumbled and turned away from the offending touch.

"Glinda,"

She shut her eyes even tighter, not wanting to wake up just yet. She felt like she had only slept for a few minutes. She was still tired.

"Gliiindaaa."

"Wha'?"

"Glinda, wake up."

Her eyes then flew open. She knew that voice anywhere. Could it be? Could she really be…?

"C'mon, don't make me have to get the cold water. You know how I am with water."

"_Elphie!_"

Elphaba wasn't prepared for the tackle she received as the blonde brought her down to the floor. Glinda immediately locked her lips with her own, kissing her for all she was worth.

"Oh, Elphie!" she breathed as soon as her lips were free.

"Glinda,"

But Elphaba's words were cut off as Glinda once again kissed her, this time longer than the last.

"Oh, Elphie, I thought you were…"

"Glinda, um-"

Glinda kissed her again and Elphaba furrowed her brows as she kissed her back. Glinda started to unbutton her own blouse and Elphaba grabbed Glinda's hands, and set her brown gaze level with her love's blue eyes.

"Glinda-"

"Make love to me, Elphie," Glinda breathed in her ear. "I need to know you're real and this is not a dream."

"Glinda!" Elphaba growled as the blonde continued to unbutton her blouse. "Glinda, please!"

"Better yet, I'll make love to you," Glinda whispered to her as she started to unbutton Elphaba's dress.

"No, Glinda!" Elphaba then pushed off the blonde off her, all the while trying to rebutton her dress.

Glinda felt her back against the floor and looked towards her lover, confusion in her pretty blue eyes. "Elphie, you don't want me?"

Elphaba gritted her teeth. "It's not that, it's just-"

"Then make love to me!" she growled, the need creeping into her voice. She practically ripped her blouse off and grabbed Elphaba's collar, dragging her until the green woman was on top of her.

"Wait, Glinda!"

"Do it!" The blonde started working on removing her skirt. Elphaba tried to stop her but until she could do anything, Glinda captured her lips in a kiss, making her unable to do anything but kiss her back.

Once they parted, Glinda whimpered, "I love you so much, Elphie! I want you so much!"

"Then listen to me!"

"I want to listen to you moan, Elphie! Make love to me!"

"Glinda! I…I can't!"

Glinda stopped dead in her tracks. She removed her hands from Elphaba's chest and stared at her lover straight in her eyes. "What…what do you mean?"

Elphaba closed her eyes, afraid to meet her lover's intense blue ones. "We need to talk."

Glinda felt tears building in her eyes. She had enough experience in relationships to know those four words could not mean anything good. Though, usually, she was the one delivering them, not the other way around.

"Elphie," she started to sob. "You cannot possibly mean-"

"We need to talk," Elphaba repeated. She stood up, fixing her dress. She offered a hand to Glinda, but the blonde brushed her off.

"I can get up by myself," Glinda huffed as she stood up, albeit a little shakily.

Elphaba sat on the bed Glinda had been on previously. "Glinda, where are we?" she asked the blonde seriously. "Do you know where we are?"

Glinda looked around, and then a sudden realization hit her. They were at their house, back in Winkie Country. What are they doing here? Last time she remembered she was at a palace, in a bathroom where-

With a sob, she remembered what happened. So this _was_ a dream.

"Oh, Elphie," she whispered shakily. She examined at the dream form of her lover. She was as beautiful as ever, with her raven hair tumbling down her shoulders and her green skin vibrant and glowing. Last time she saw her, she looked horrible. She looked…dead.

"Elphie, why did you have to fly off the handle?" Glinda asked her quietly.

Elphaba closed her eyes, as if those words hurt her. "I'm sorry, Glinda. I didn't know how else to react. I just need to know…are you…?"

"No, Elphaba!" Glinda shouted at her, suddenly very angry with her lover. "Why did you have to do that? You…You didn't know for sure…you could have listened…waited…"

With that she broke down, leaning against the bedpost. Elphaba made a move to comfort her, but she figured Glinda didn't need physical comfort now. She needed an explanation.

"Why, Elphaba, why? After all we've been through…why?"

"I…I didn't know what else to do!"

"You could have waited!"

"Yeah, waited for you to _die_, Glinda?"

"And _how do you think I feel, Elphaba_?" Glinda's voice had grown steely and venomous, sending chills down Elphaba's spine. She had never heard her love use that tone of voice before, and it hurt her that she was the one to cause it in the first place. She turned around to face the green woman, her breathing fast and shallow as she started to speak once again,

"After what you have done, how do you think I would react? How are you so sure that I won't kill myself too, because I have a pretty good mindset towards that?"

Elphaba shook her head vigorously. "Glinda! No, don't do that. Please."

"Well, too late for that now, huh?" Glinda was now shouting at her, her tears flowing freely. "I don't know what else to do with you, Elphaba!"

Elphaba looked down at her hand, which she had under pillow. She fingered the bottle of green Miracle Elixir she hid under it, wondering if her life was worth it. She had rediscovered it there after her encounter with the memories. It seems that the bottle was magical; reappearing even after it was shattered. Maybe this could revive her. This was her…and Glinda's only hope.

"When I saw you like that, Elphaba," Glinda wept, "I…I didn't know what to do with myself. I wanted to rip my heart and give it to you, all the same time wanting to go and hang myself for not stopping you."

It hurt Elphaba to see her lover rant like this, but she knew she deserved it. _I'm so sorry, Glinda…I didn't know I hurt you even more than I did to myself…maybe I do deserve to die._ She let go of the bottle of Miracle Elixir, looking down at her hands.

"Elphaba, look at me!"

Glinda grabbed Elphaba's face and abruptly turned it so she was face to face with those blazing blue eyes.

"I have never felt like this since you 'died' three years ago. A little piece of me had died, Elphaba. _Died_."

Elphaba visibly flinched.

"And when I heard all of those idiotic people celebrating your death, I felt like dying myself. When I found you again, sweet Oz Elphaba, I felt like I had risen from the dead. And just to know that you have killed yourself, _really_ killed yourself, and all because of me, I'm going to return the favor. I have no other choice."

Elphaba gulped as Glinda got closer to her face, her breath on her green-tinged lips.

"I have _no other choice_."

With that she kissed the green woman, briefly startling her. Glinda deepened it, caressing her cheek with the back of her hand.

When they parted, Glinda stared into her brown eyes, her own blue ones full of tears.

"I will see you soon, my love," the blonde whispered into her lover's ear. "I love you."

Elphaba shook her head. "Glinda, no. No!"

Glinda bowed her head as she stepped backwards. She looked over her shoulder to the door, which she knew if she stepped through it would wake her up from this strange, twisted dream.

"Glinda!" Elphaba got up after the blonde, grabbing the Miracle Elixir from its hiding place underneath the pillow. "Don't do it!"

Glinda put a hand on the doorknob, then turned around and blew her love a kiss before opening the door.

"Glinda! _No!_"

Then Elphaba heaved the Miracle Elixir as hard as she could, sending it flying through the open door. Glinda didn't even bat an eye at the bottle flying through the door over her head, a certain sadness coming to her eyes as she turned around to face the door once again.

And then she stepped through.

***

Glinda woke up, her eyes wide open. She was breathing hard and was shivering uncontrollably. She looked down and saw the pale green face of her lover and then the stain of her tears on that horrid dress that started this whole mess.

In her frustration, she was about to rip it up, but she figured she would just be wasting precious energy. Energy she would need to do what she had to do. She remembered that dream like it had actually happened. She could still feel Elphaba's lips on hers when she had kissed her for that last time.

She reached out and touched Elphaba's cold lips gently, then her own. "Oh, Elphie," she breathed, barely suppressing more sobs of grief. She then looked around and noticed something shiny on the ground.

She gave it a curious look, and then reached over to grab it. With a gasp, she drew back, recognizing it immediately. Elphaba's green bottle!

_What is it doing here?_ she thought, glancing at Elphaba. She then looked back down at the bottle, feeling a sickening feeling of déjà vu. It had been like this after Elphaba had supposedly 'died' three years ago, with her finding that mysterious green bottle by her hat and cloak.

She suddenly felt repulsed by it. She pushed the bottle away, nausea overwhelming her. She quickly got up and threw up in the toilet, doing her best to move her hair out of the way as her dinner came out. When her stomach only gave dry heaves, she leaned back and allowed herself to slide unto the floor, leaning against the bathroom door and wiping her mouth against her sleeve.

She felt miserable. She looked at the bottle again, grimacing.

_Why has it come back to haunt me?_ she thought. _I don't deserve this. I fucking don't deserve this!_ She grabbed the bottle and was about to throw it against the wall parallel to her, but the sight of Elphaba stretched out in front of her, lifeless, made her bring it down again. She read the label, something she had never done before.

Miracle Elixir.

_Hmph, some miracle this is,_ Glinda thought angrily. She put the bottle down on the floor next to her and took a deep breath. She then got an idea. She looked at the bottle again, a hungry gleam coming to her blue eyes.

"Maybe this _could_ work a little miracle for me," she said out loud. She picked up the bottle and uncorked it. Her hand started to shake.

She raised it, as if she was giving a toast.

"To love."

She brought it to her lips, about to take her sip of poison when a force suddenly knocked her backwards. The door she had been leaning against had opened behind her and there stood the Great Witch.

***

"Glinda!"

The blonde abruptly got up from the floor, facing the Great Witch. She looked at the pale woman, then at the bottle of Miracle Elixir in her hand.

The Great Witch stepped forward. "What are you doing with this?" she motioned the bottle with her hand. The Miracle Elixir was exactly what she needed to save Elphaba! But what was the blonde doing with it…?

"Don't come any closer," Glinda warned her, raising the bottle threateningly.

"Give me that." The Great Witch reached out to grab the item from Glinda's hand, but the blonde backed away, almost into Elphaba's body on the floor.

"Get away from me!" Glinda shouted at her. She then raised the bottle to her lips, preparing to take a full swig.

To her dismay, the Great Witch realized what Glinda was about to do and without warning, she reached out and plucked the bottle out of the blonde's hands before she had a chance to take a sip of the poison.

"Give me that back!" Glinda yelled at her. She reached out her hands, trying in vain to retrieve the green bottle from the taller woman's possession.

"This substance is highly poisonous and is hazardous for your body!" the Great Witch told her, all the while backing away into the hall, the blonde going after her. Zafryna and Frynda, who were still in the hallway, looked at the scene unfolding behind them with increasing worry.

"You could kill yourself!" the Great Witch told the blonde.

"That's the point!" hissed Glinda. She looked over her shoulder at Elphaba's body on the bathroom floor, and then looked back at the Great Witch with a new gleam of determination in her eyes.

The Great Witch noticed this and it greatly unsettled her. "Glinda, you cannot kill yourself."

"Oh yeah? Just give me the bottle and watch me." Once again she tried to grasp the bottle, but the Great Witch was still too tall. She let out a frustrated sigh, gave up and backed away. She looked around, trying to find some other way to end her life. The sooner, the better.

Frynda made a move to go and stop her, but Zafryna put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. The yellow-skinned woman shook her head, as if she was saying 'this is not our fight'. Frynda looked at the Great Witch and Glinda powerlessly, desperately wanting to help.

"I can save her," the Great Witch said, and her daughters gasped in surprise. Glinda did not seem to have heard her as she searched through the hall for anything...anything to stop this pain of living once and for all.

"But I thought the Death Spell was irreversible, Your Highness," Zafryna asked the Great Witch, a puzzled look coming to her face.

The Great Witch glanced at her, then at the bottle in her hand. "All spells are irreversible unless you have this."

Zafryna's eyes opened wide at the green bottle. "Is that…?"

The Great Witch closed her eyes and nodded. She turned back to Glinda and noticed the way she was looking around frantically, as if she was looking for something.

The pale woman then glanced at her daughters at the other side of the hall, indicating that they should come a little closer. They did.

"Glinda, did you hear me? I can save Elphaba!"

Glinda blinked at the Great Witch, hearing this time. She did not notice the two women coming up behind her. "What did you say?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"With this Elixir, Elphaba has a chance at life!"

Immediately Glinda stopped her efforts of searching and stared at the pale woman. "W-what do you mean?"

The Great Witch took a step towards Glinda, wanting to show her the label of the bottle so she could see for herself.

"Zafryna, Frynda," she said to her daughters, who had positioned themselves at Glinda's sides, "Grab her so she can't-"

She had spoken too soon. With a cry, Glinda lunged for the bottle. Always quick and fast acting, Zafryna had grabbed Glinda's arm, stopping her. Frynda followed suit, grabbing her other arm.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Glinda screamed, kicking and thrashing about under the stronger womens' grip. "I need that bottle!"

"_Elphaba_ needs this bottle!" the Great Witch reiterated to her firmly. "She needs this if she ever has a chance to be saved!"

"You're a liar!" Glinda shrieked. "You lied to me…to _us!_"

The Great Witch blinked and a feeling of guilt formed at the pit of her stomach. Glinda was right. She had lied to them.

"How can I trust you when you…when you…" Glinda broke down in tears again, going limp. The only thing hold her upright was Zafryna and Frynda's strong grips on both her arms.

The Great Witch looked away, fighting hard to keep tears from falling. When she regained her composure, she turned back to the distraught blonde. "You just have to trust me."

"Whatever…I don't care…" Glinda's voice was small. "Why don't you just kill me now? It seems you've taken everything else from me."

Glinda's resigned tone moved the Great Witch profoundly. She cursed herself for not telling her and Elphaba the whole truth before. Now it may be too late.

"I'm tired of fighting you…just…kill me."

"I can't do that," the Great Witch said. She lowered her head. "I'm so sorry."

Glinda let out a chuckle, surprising and scaring her at the same time. "I don't care anymore."

The Great Witch looked at her daughters. Zafryna looked deeply disturbed and Frynda looked like she was about to crawl unto the floor and cry. "Hold onto her, girls. I cannot waste any more time."

Glinda looked up at the Great Witch. "You're honestly going to—"

"I have to try. It's all I can do." Without another word, she stepped into the bathroom, ignoring Glinda's cry for her to stop.

***

The Great Witch looked at Elphaba's body, feeling a wave of nausea. She shook her head. She had to focus at the task at hand.

_Focus. This is no time for guilt, even though I deserve it._

She bent down next to the deathly pale woman's head.

"Oh, Elphaba,"

She gently tucked a lock of raven black hair behind an ear as she studied Elphaba's strong and beautiful face.

She then looked at the bottle and back at Elphaba, chuckling. "I didn't know you kept it. I thought I had left it in Oz."

She uncorked the green bottle with one of her nails. She swept her gaze over Elphaba's body, soaking in the image of the green woman wearing her dress…her old dress.

"Why by the Named God did you have to pick this dress, Elphaba? You must have recognized it…you must have remembered."

She delicately poured a little bit of the Miracle Elixir into Elphaba's mouth, gently wiping at the substance when it dribbled down her chin.

"Now we wait."

The Great Witch put down the bottle by Elphaba's head. She started to stroke the smooth, jet-black hair, smiling fondly.

"I had never thought I'd see you again," she whispered. "Oh, how I have missed you. After your brother was born…I didn't know what to do. I regret leaving you to fend for yourself."

The Great Witch sniffed as tears started to run down her face.

"Elphaba, dear, you have to wake up. There is an overreacting blonde outside this door waiting for you, ready to kill herself at the drop of a hat."

She smiled as Elphaba's eyelids started to move. It was working. "That's it, Fabala. That's a good girl. You look beautiful in that dress. Better than I would have ever looked."

The Great Witch looked down at the ground, not wanting to hold back any longer. As Elphaba started to wake up, she took a green hand into hers.

"Wha…" Elphaba's voice was scratchy and hoarse.

"Shh, Elphaba. The reviving process needs to be slow and gentle."

Elphaba's eyelids fluttered open, revealing her brown eyes. She looked at the Great Witch, still too groggy to recognize the woman beside her.

"Fabala, listen to me while you still can. I have a confession to make."

Elphaba blinked, starting to come round. Nobody called her Fabala unless…

"I…I am Melena. Your mother."


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for sticking with me this far, my fellow readers!**

**I just want to say that this fic will be over 100,000 (!) words.**

**Yes, I _do_ get carried away while writing... :P**

**Enjoy this chappie~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 14

Fiyero cast an uneasy glance at Avaric, who was opening the rusty gate in front of them. The guards next to them nodded, acknowledging their superior presence. They gave Fiyero a formal bow as he passed them.

"Avaric, are you sure…?" the Emperor asked the captain warily.

"Positive." The blonde man pushed open the gate with a loud creak. "She's somewhere in here."

Fiyero had no choice but to follow his friend into the decrepit hallway. He heard a myriad of voices as soon as he stepped through the gate.

"Hey!"

A familiar voice made Fiyero turn around. With a grimace, he realized the voice belonged to Razaf, a man he put to prison not too long ago for an attempt on his life.

Razaf had a smile on his face. The man's startling green eyes bore into Fiyero's through the cell door as his grimy hands clutched at the rusted bars.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the _Emperor!_"

Fiyero blinked, momentarily fazed by Razaf's intimidating presence.

Avaric poked his dark-skinned friend, urging him on. Without a moment's hesitation, Fiyero continued to follow the captain further down the hall.

"Don't think you're off the hook yet," Razaf called after them, his voice echoing louder than the others in the prison hall. "We all know who's the true Emperor here!"

Avaric rolled his eyes. He then noticed Fiyero's barely audible gulp.

"Ignore him, Fiyero," his friend told him. "He can't do anything behind bars."

Fiyero still didn't look convinced. "Wasn't he supposed to be dead a long time ago?"

"He's still waiting for his death date, like the others in this corridor," Avaric said.

"What's the hold up?"

"Southstairs is overflowing, Fiyero." If Avaric didn't know better he could've sworn Fiyero seemed…frightened. "It takes a while for the Gale Force to sort out prisoners since there's so many."

"I want this fixed, Avaric," Fiyero growled to him. "We can't have dangerous people like Razaf still alive."

Avaric looked at the Emperor, skeptical. "But Fiyero—"

"As captain of the guard, it is your duty to see that it is done, am I not correct or—"

"You are correct, sir." Avaric blinked at Fiyero. It was a rare case that he should call his friend by 'sir', but Fiyero's cold tone made him think otherwise.

Fiyero nodded. "I thought so. I had held your position once upon a time if I recall correctly."

They continued to walk through the corridor in silence, listening to the hoots and hollers coming from the opposite end of the hallway.

"Where is she?" Fiyero asked the captain after a few minutes of walking past silent, iron doors.

"Here in solitary confinement. For reasons I'm sure you know—"

"Yes," Fiyero confirmed. "I do know…very well, actually."

"Well then, here she is."

Avaric pointed to the door at the very end of the hallway. As the men approached it, they could hear a soft murmuring, as if someone was talking within the room. There was a guard posted outside the door and he turned his head as Avaric and Fiyero approached him.

The guard gave them an automatic Ozian salute. "Your Ozness, Captain Avaric."

"Hancrest," Avaric acknowledged him with a nod. Fiyero just merely stared at the guard, his blue eyes narrowed. The murmuring continued and Avaric gave Hancrest a curious look.

"Is there someone in there with her?" he asked.

"Sir, she is alone." Hancrest snuck a look at the small window into the room, as if he was making sure he was correct.

"Then who is she talking to…?" Fiyero asked, definitely intrigued.

"Herself, sire," Hancrest answered him, looking back at the two men. "She has been for the last four hours."

Avaric blinked in surprise and looked at the Emperor, who was merely shaking his head.

"Sweet Oz," Fiyero breathed. "She's worse than I thought."

"We would like to have an audience with her," Avaric ordered Hancrest. The guard gave him a questioning look, and then nodded quickly, as if he was afraid his superiors would think he doubted them. He took out his ring of keys and selected one, its shape apparently already memorized. He inserted the key into the slot and swiftly turned it, opening the door.

The murmuring ceased as the door to the room creaked open and Hancrest's head appeared.

"Get up!" he ordered the heavyset woman who was sitting on the bed in the farthest corner. With a glare and a grunt, she reluctantly lifted herself from the bed. Her hands were shackled behind her back.

"His Ozness and the captain are here to see you."

The woman smiled crookedly as the aforementioned men appeared before her, just as she had expected. She took in the sight of the two younger men with a peering eye, examining them. The Emperor fidgeted under her scrutinizing gaze.

Avaric, however, was less intimidated. "Madame, you need to help us with something. I'm sure you would like to see the sun again."

_Oh, how absolutely delightful_, she told herself. _Just like I had envisioned. Perfect._

"Well, how can I help you dearies?"

***

"E-Excuse me?"

Melena looked down at her oldest daughter, a bit sadly. She had hoped her transformation hadn't been too dramatic that even her own children wouldn't recognize her, but the spell had done its job. In the eyes of her other three daughters, she was another person: the Great Witch, ruler of Zo.

Elphaba blinked a few times, not understanding. "No. You're lying."

"Fabala, I'm not lying to you."

The green woman backed away from the older woman, her back quickly reaching the wall. Her brown eyes were wide and dilated in both her fear and anger. "Don't call me that! Don't you _ever_ call me that again!"

Melena drew closer to her daughter. "Elphaba, I'm your mother-"

"No, you're not!" Elphaba screamed. "She's dead! She died a long time ago!"

Melena's heart stung painfully at Elphaba's hateful rejection.

"Is this hell? Am I in hell?" Elphaba asked her quickly, her voice dripping with malice. "Is this what I've finally come to?"

"No, Elphaba. You're alive."

"Why do you keep lying to me? I'm dead! I'm—"

Elphaba's words were cut off as the bathroom door started to bang. "And who is that, the devil coming to get me?"

Melena shook her head. "Elphaba, listen to me. I'm Melena, your mother."

"Okay, sure. I believe you."

Elphaba's words surprised Melena.

"R-really?" Melena stuttered, wondering if her daughter was still under the effects of the Miracle Elixir to fully comprehend the current situation.

"You must be my mother. I'm in hell, right? If _I_ am, she's probably in here too."

Melena couldn't fight her tears no longer. "Elphaba, you're alive! I'm alive!"

Elphaba continued to ignore Melena's pleads with her as she stood up. "Where's my sister? I assume she's with the Unnamed God—if he exists. Her devotion for Him made me sick."

Melena felt her heart stop. "N-Nessarose? She's—"

"Dead and gone." Elphaba looked around the bathroom. _Hell looks different than what I've always imagined_, she thought with a grimace. _It looks…clean._

"Oh poor Nessa," Melena whispered, grieving for her former wheelchair-bound daughter. "How…how did she…?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Elphaba turned to look at her mother, the surprise evident on her sharp face. "A house fell on her. I was too late to save her. Just one other thing I could add to my long list of life failures."

Melena stared at her oldest daughter through tear-filled eyes. "Elphaba…oh Elphaba…" She bowed her head, breaking her gaze.

Elphaba narrowed her eyes at the pale woman in front of her. "You look…different from when I last saw you. You look like—"

"You are not in hell, Elphaba. You knew me before as the Great Witch."

Elphaba blinked. "Did she die too? Did I kill her? Is she here?" She started to shake.

"Elphaba, you need to lie down!" Melena wasn't expecting the Miracle Elixir to have this kind of effect on her daughter. She wasn't making any sense. She gulped, regretting telling the green woman the truth while she was still in a fragile state.

By now, the banging on the door had become incessant, but both of the women ignored it; one thinking it was the devil, the other knowing very well it was anything but.

Melena could hear the Glinda Upland's shrieks clearly through the door, but it was as if Elphaba was deaf. The green woman held her head in one of her hands, the other holding onto the sink in order to keep in balance.

"Glinda…I'm hearing her voice. I'm going insane…she can't be dead…please, not Glinda…"

Melena hurriedly got up and held Elphaba steady as she started to sway on her feet. "Elphaba, you need to sit down!"

"What's going on?" The green woman's voice came out as a whimper. "Who are you?"

Before Melena could respond, Elphaba suddenly collapsed into her arms, slipping into unconsciousness. Melena buckled under the green woman's deadweight. She struggled to keep her upright, the cramped space in the bathroom making it all the worse.

"Oh, my poor Fabala! I didn't mean this to happen! I'm sorry!" Melena apologized to her daughter, sobbing. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault, if I hadn't—"

Finally Glinda burst through the door, her knuckles bloody and torn from her frantic banging. Zafryna and Frynda were right behind her, both sporting a good amount of bruises and scratches; no doubt Glinda's handiwork.

"_ELPHABA!_"

Melena felt the blonde's hands roughly shove her to the side, but she wouldn't let go of her unconscious daughter. Zafryna and Frynda quickly grabbed hold of Glinda's arms again, casting annoyed looks at Melena.

Glinda was frantic. She was sure she had heard her love's voice coming from inside this bathroom. "Let go of me! Let go! Elphie?! Elphie, can you hear me?"

Melena gritted her teeth as she shifted Elphaba unto the toilet seat, leaning her back until she was sure she wouldn't fall off.

"Is she alive? What did you do to her?" Glinda snarled at who she thought was the Great Witch, fighting against her two stubborn restrainers.

"She's alive, Glinda," Melena breathed, turning around to look at Zafryna. She caught her daughter's bright emerald eyes, briefly wondering how much she looked like Elphaba. After all, she was the one that reminded most of her green daughter. Especially her eyes. Those emerald eyes were the ones that kept reminding her of her emerald-skinned daughter back in Oz.

Glinda started sobbing. "But-but look at her! Why is she like that?!"

"She's unconscious, Glinda," Zafryna told her gruffly before Melena had the chance to. She glared back at her mother, her emerald eyes flashing. "Your Highness—"

Melena nodded to her, already knowing what her adept daughter was referring to. She was the one who possessed the most magical ability out of all her daughters, with the exception of Elphaba, of course. Melena trusted her with almost everything, especially while she having an 'episode', a horrible side-effect of her physical transformation.

"She's getting out of control," Melena told her daughters quickly. "Zafryna, do what you have to do."

"Zafryna, are you going to use the Sleeping Spell on her?" Frynda asked her sister from her position on the other side of Glinda.

The yellow-skinned woman nodded and began to chant, all the while restraining the struggling blonde from tackling her unconscious lover. Frynda gazed sadly at Glinda, who had no idea what was being done to her, being too focused on getting to her Elphie.

"I'm sorry, Glinda," the red woman apologized to her as the blonde slumped forwards, falling asleep.

"Take her to her room," Melena told them. "I'll get Bolynda to help me with Elphaba."

Frynda hesitated. "So…it did work? Is she really--"

"It worked…just not how I expected it to," Melena answered her youngest daughter's question. She turned away from her youngest daughter, closing her eyes. Frynda had always been the most sensitive of her daughters. _Just like poor Nessa,_ Melena thought with a feeling like lead in her stomach.

"What do you mean?" Frynda asked, wanting to know more.

"Shush, Frynda. Let's go," Zafryna told her, swiftly pulling her and the sleeping Glinda out of the bathroom.

"But-"

Frynda's protest was cut off as Zafryna shut the door behind them, leaving Melena and her oldest daughter alone. Melena looked at Elphaba, watching her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. She knew from experience the Miracle Elixir was unpredictable in ways she couldn't describe. After all, it played a part in Elphaba's conception.

Melena grimaced, not wanting to remember that particular moment in time. She figured Elphaba would stay put for a few minutes while she got her blue-skinned daughter to help her move the unconscious girl from the bathroom. That is, _if _she could find her. Bolynda was notorious for disappearing in the most inopportune times.

Looking over her shoulder one last time, she left the bathroom in search for Bolynda.

***

The blue-skinned girl was on a search herself. She needed to find Zafryna.

She decided she would look in her and her sisters' room first. As she climbed the stairs, she noticed the Great Witch, Glinda and Frynda a couple of steps ahead of her. She froze. That is _not_ what she wanted. She carefully tip-toed after them, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

Glinda seemed to be in some kind of hurry, pulling Frynda along with her. The Great Witch, however, seemed unresponsive. Bolynda figured this was about Elphaba.

_Whatever,_ she thought. _The more I stay out of this, the better._

Her heart skipped a beat as they approached her room. She was confused. _What do they want with Zafryna…?_

Then they passed the room and headed into the bathroom. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. _Good. Zafryna's not in this mess. I need to talk to her._

With a small chant, Bolynda mentally blocked herself from outside voices, a temporary spell she came up with herself in order to cope with her mind-reading curse. She looked around and slipped into her room. Softly shutting it, she turned around.

"Zafryna-"

The name caught in her mouth as she realized her yellow-skinned sister wasn't there. She looked around, seeing only a piece of paper and a looking glass on her sister's usual bed. She huffed at the sight of her sister's coveted looking glass. She thought Zafryna's obsession with the glass was the most ridiculous thing…and not to mention _embarrassing_.

She knew her sister had a special knack for Seeing things in the glass, but it had gotten out of hand lately. Sometimes Bolynda had caught her stroking her glass or even _muttering_ to it, as if it could talk back to her.

Bolynda quickly grabbed the glass in one of her blue hands. _This has _got_ to go_, she thought to herself. She looked around the room, searching for a place to hide it.

_This is for your own good, sister,_ she thought, knowing Zafryna will freak out when she discovers her precious glass was missing. _There's nothing like a little intervention can't fix! _

With a smile, she put it in one of the drawers in her vanity, the only thing she claimed as her own from her other two sisters. She knew Zafryna wouldn't dare go near the vanity. _No siree,_ Bolynda thought jeeringly, _no girly stuff for Miss Zafryna!_

She let out a chuckle, always loving the chance to tease her older sister. She then looked back at the bed at the piece of paper that had been sitting next to the looking glass.

_Oooo!_

She sauntered over to the bed, peering at the curious-looking piece of paper.

_This looks interesting!_

She quickly grabbed it and sat on the bed. _What have you got to hide, Zaf?_ She thought, smiling wickedly. _A clever love letter, perhaps? Or—_

Reading the paper, she abruptly frowned.

_A spell from the Grimmerie? What the…?_

As she continued to read it, the smile crept back unto her face.

_This is way better than a love letter! Oh, Zafryna! I never knew you wanted to get out too!_

She was excited. This could be her way out of this dreadful palace! She read over the spell once again, thinking this was easy enough for an amateur witch like her to perform successfully.

She then looked at the wall beside her, where she could hear soft, muted voices coming from the bathroom. She couldn't tell who they belonged to, for Zafryna was the only one out of the trio of sisters who had the best hearing.

Bolynda looked back at the weathered paper, her aqua blue eyes alight with anticipation.

"It seems you are not here, Zafryna dear," she said and looked at her vanity, where her sister's looking glass hid from sight. "Soooo…I guess you wouldn't mind if I…_borrowed_ this for a while."

She couldn't help herself as she cackled like the witch she was. She took a deep breath and started to chant, her voice shaking from her excitement of finally getting her wish.

"Olant fent ika shrem!"

Just as the door to her room opened, her world turned black.

* * *

**Ooh, what has Bolynda gotten herself into now...? :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's chapter 15.**

**Enjoy, everyone~ :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 15

"Madame Morrible…"

"Please, just Morrible, Captain Avaric. The 'Madame' was lost a long time ago."

Avaric averted the older woman's piercing gaze, uncomfortable with the face that she knew his name. "Uh, Morrible it is."

Morrible smiled crookedly. She loved making people uneasy. "Go on, dearie," she urged him, casting a glance at Fiyero, who hadn't spoken yet. She remembered him easily from her days as Headmistress at Shiz University and from her brief days as Press Secretary for the Wizard. Last time she saw him he was the captain of the guard. She had never known that a fun-loving, easy-going clown like him could have actually made it to be the great Oz himself.

"We want your opinion."

Fiyero's sudden blurt surprised Morrible. "Oh?"

"Yes…it's about…Glinda."

Morrible blinked, the gears in her mind turning a mile a minute. She recalled a certain engagement party…

_Oh yes! Those two are affianced, aren't they? How lovely. I wonder how _that_ turned out._

She then frowned. _Glinda doesn't deserve the Emperor as her husband. She doesn't deserve that type of recognition. She doesn't deserve anything, that phony b-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Fiyero's voice.

"I…I need your expertise."

Morrible raised a brow. "Which of my many talents do you require, sire? Talents such as mine cannot be wasted, dearie."

Fiyero blinked, sensing a speech coming on. He knew how Morrible was with her speeches back when he was as a student at Shiz when he was just a free-spirited young man. He was getting into all sorts of trouble back then. The dark-skinned man looked at Avaric and shrugged, silently telling his friend to grin and bear it.

Just as Fiyero expected, Morrible continued:

"Talents these days are so rare and it is a crying shame to see them go to waste. Take mine for example. As you know I have a certain…aptitude for the weather. Don't get me wrong, dear sirs. This talent has serves its purpose in the past, as Fiyero surely knows." She looked at the Emperor, daring him to challenge her.

Fiyero just merely stared at her, waiting for her finish.

"I also have a knackification for prophecy. You see, I knew you two were coming. Now, Fiyero dear, I hadn't known of your current status as ruler of Oz and for that I congratulate you. Now hopefully you could see that justice will rule upon this land once and for all now that that Wizard is long gone."

Fiyero rolled his eyes. Morrible was also known for her false flattery.

"Now, to your question concerning dear Glinda…wait."

Fiyero blinked. He noticed Avaric shift beside him as Morrible fell silent, deep in thought.

"Didn't she pass away not too long ago? Mysterious circumstances, I heard?"

Fiyero visibly flinched at her question.

"Oh, you poor dearie, I'm sorry. I can't help it. She was the one who threw me into this wretched prison in the first place. I'm just more than a little angry with her for that."

Fiyero ignored the woman's sarcastic tone as he said,

"Well then, this gives you more reason to help us…not that you would have to anyway. I _am_ the ruler of Oz, after all."

Morrible smirked. "It makes my heart soar that you have kept your sense of humor, Fiyero dear-"

"He _is_ the Emperor," Avaric intercepted her before she could say any more. "You will address him as so."

"Yes, yes, of course. My apologies, captain. I'm just so used to referring to him at such a…_personal_ level." Morrible glanced at Fiyero, who gulped.

"Anyways," Fiyero growled, quickly regaining his composure before she could notice his fear. "Glinda is alive. It turns out she is in hiding."

Morrible was clearly surprised. "Oh really? I didn't know the little socialite had it in her. To fake her own death and go into hiding…whatever for? She had you."

Fiyero gritted his teeth. He knew Morrible was hitting too close to home. If only she knew he was thinking about Elphaba, not Glinda.

"Morrible, Glinda is not alone."

The older woman stared at Fiyero, urging him to go on with her ever-scrutinizing gaze.

"Elphaba is with her."

Morrible could not suppress her gasp of surprise. "Thropp? _The_ Elphaba Thropp? Wicked Witch of the-"

"Who else?" Fiyero asked her quickly, stopping her from saying the rest of Elphaba's most infamous name.

"She's alive?! I…I thought we had finished her off!"

Fiyero couldn't suppress a smug smile. He had helped Elphaba escape by using a plan he had cleverly come up with himself. While he was the Scarecrow, he had sent a letter to her, telling her he was alive and his plan to fake her death and rescue her. His smile grew wider as he reminisced at how Elphaba was so grateful to him…at how she had told him she loved him when she turned him back into a man…how they had made love all those nights afterwards…

His heart then froze with hatred as a certain blonde came into his mind. What did Glinda have that _he_ didn't have? He was about to yell out in his anger when Morrible broke into his thoughts.

"She was a clever one, that one. I knew from the very start she had it in her. That's why I made her my student, you know. I understand Elphaba, but Glinda…why in Oz would she fake her own death? And travelling _together _nonetheless?"

Fiyero couldn't say. It hurt him to even think about it.

Avaric saw his friend in pain and decided to take over. "It seems she loves her."

Morrible thought she didn't hear correctly. "Excuse me?"

"Glinda loves Elphaba. And Elphaba loves her in return."

Fiyero stepped away from the two, unable to stand hearing his worst fears. He stared at the ground, his blue eyes burning with an icy fire.

"But…are you sure?"

Morrible's question made Fiyero look up. Suddenly, she laughed and the Emperor gave her a rather quizzical look.

"It seems my room arrangements back at Shiz have had quite an impact on them, yes?" She chuckled to herself. She turned to Fiyero, who still had his back to her. She knew she had hit a sore spot when those two girls are concerned.

"How are you sure they harbor these feelings for each other, sire?" she asked the Emperor. "Did you meet them in person?"

Fiyero turned around to look at her, a certain look coming into his eyes. "No…"

"Well, there you have it. If you name your source, you'll name the validity of the information. Now…who told you?"

Fiyero thought back to earlier that day. So many things had happened that day his head hurt just trying to remember it all. But one memory stuck out in front of all the rest. Hearing Elphaba's voice…that voice he had dreamt about only in his dreams for almost a year now…

"Oh dear, it seems he's off in Na-Na land again."

Avaric poked him in the ribs. "Fiyero!"

"W-what?"

Morrible gave him a cold, calm smile. "Answer my question, dearie. Who told you Elphaba and Glinda are a couple? This seems to have you worked up."

_Of course I'm worked up!_ Fiyero thought angrily. "Boq," he answered her. "Boq told me."

"That munchkin boy? The former Tin Man?"

"That's him."

Morrible tsked-tsked. "He was always a weird one. He was head over heels for Glinda in Shiz, you know."

"Who doesn't?"

Morrible chuckled at Fiyero's rhetorical question. "Right you are, your Ozness. Have you ever considered that he still might have feelings for Glinda?"

Fiyero blinked. "Knowing how Boq is, I have no doubt. But what does this have to do with-"

"Patience, sire. Now…didn't Boq hate Elphaba for his metal affliction?"

"Yes…"

"So, there you have it."

Fiyero was flummoxed. "I still don't get it. I'm confused."

Morrible, thank Oz, was used to Fiyero's rather…_slow_ thinking. "Wouldn't Boq _love_ to make you think Elphaba and Glinda were together? To make you angry?"

"I don't follow you…"

"Sire, he wants you to go after Elphaba and Glinda for his own personal gain. Since you are so high of status, I'm sure you have no problem in summoning up guards or whatever in order to retrieve the two women from their hiding place."

"But why would Boq want…oh." Fiyero slapped his head in his exasperation. "So he could have a chance at Glinda!"

"Exactly. And I'm sure you wouldn't let him, am I correct?"

Fiyero blinked at her, his fists clenching and unclenching at the mere thought of Glinda. "I don't give a damn about what happens to Glinda."

Morrible let out a cackle. "Oh, dearie, don't tell me…"

"I love Elphaba."

"Oh dear."

The Emperor gave Morrible a wary side-glance. "What's wrong?"

"This surely complicates things. I may not be sure of Elphaba and Glinda's status romantically, but last time I had seen Miss Glinda the oh-so-Good she was rather fond of the green witch. They may have even become friends during their days at Shiz. After all, they had come to see the Wizard together…"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Fiyero growled, his patience wearing thin.

"What I'm saying is Glinda won't give Elphaba up easily. And if I had understood correctly, Elphaba won't either."

"I want them separated," the Emperor told Morrible quickly. "I want Elphaba back in my arms again."

"Again? Oh my, it seems like I have quite a few stories to hear. Now, why do you need me in all of this?"

Fiyero looked at Avaric, who nodded, understanding that this was his time to speak.

"I believe you can locate where Elphaba and Glinda are hiding. My first guess would be somewhere in the Vinkus, but…"

"Knowing our dear Elphaba, I'd doubt it."

Avaric blinked, scratching his blonde head with one of his hands. "Then where…?"

"Somewhere people would least expect her."

Fiyero thought back at his last run-in with the girls. Even though he hadn't seen them directly, he knew they were there. They were behind a closet in Boq's mother's house. What were they doing hiding in a closet? His blood began to boil again when he thought of the possible scenarios.

"If you get me out of this dreadful place," Morrible offered, "I'll happily loan you my magical talents to help aid you. I also happen to have quite a few ideas regarding this most…intriguing plan of yours."

Avaric looked at Fiyero, not sure what to do.

The Emperor himself looked grim as he stared at his old Headmistress. _She might be my only chance to get Fae back,_ he thought. _She's the only other magically inclined person I know._

"Fiyero?"

Avaric's voice snapped his friend out of his thoughts. Fiyero nodded.

"Unshackle her, Avaric," he ordered the captain.

Morrible smiled. She didn't know the Emperor was _this_ easy to persuade. _This would serve to my advantage later on, _she thought._ He is the Wizard all over again._

"I knew you would come around, sire," she said happily. "Don't worry, I will not fail you."

Fiyero didn't respond as Avaric walked behind the woman and removed her shackles. Morrible let out a groan as her hands fell to her sides.

"Ah! Now that's better!" She flexed her fingers about and rubbed her raw wrists where the shackles had dug themselves into her skin. She felt her magic spark through her fingertips once again.

"Now," Fiyero said, stepping closer to her. "What do you suggest we do first?"

Morrible smiled her most crooked smile to date. She wrung her hands together and cackled.

Fiyero could not help but feel a little intimidated. _What have I done? What kind of monster have I unleashed?_

"First," Morrible sneered, "we have to tell our fellow Ozians that their Wicked Witch of the West is alive!"

***

Melena walked in just as Bolynda disappeared. She stopped in her tracks, not sure at what had just transpired. She looked around, a brow raised.

"Bolynda?"

***

Zafryna and Frynda set the sleeping Glinda down on her bed. They hastily fixed the covers around her, making her as comfortable as possible.

"Are you okay, Frynda?" Zafryna asked her youngest sister, genuine concern in her voice. She noticed Frynda was quiet and withdrawn as she fixed the pillow under Glinda's head. She gently moved the blonde curls out of the older girl's face. Glinda murmured in her sleep as Frynda did this.

"I'm fine, I guess," Frynda muttered, not looking at her sister. She kept gazing at Glinda, a certain gleam in her amber eyes.

Zafryna sensed her sister was anything _but_ fine, but she kept quiet.

"It just came too fast," Frynda admitted, more to herself than to Zafryna. "I…I can't believe Elphaba would do that to herself…"

"Love makes you do crazy things, Frynda," said Zafryna.

Frynda blinked at her. "Really?"

Zafryna nodded. "I've heard of people who would actually travel to the sun and back for their love, even if it cost them their lives."

"Oh really? I've never heard of them."

Zafryna felt her heart lift when she saw her sister give her a small smile.

"Would you tell those stories to me sometime, Zaf?" Frynda asked her, her younger years showing. "I would really like to hear them."

"Of course, Rynda," Zafryna answered her, using her nickname. She knew how Frynda loved being called 'Rynda'.

Frynda turned back to Glinda, her mood sobering a little. She sighed as she touched those blonde curls again.

"Do you want to talk a little bit?" Zafryna asked her, coming up beside her.

Frynda didn't answer her question, but just kept looking at Glinda's slumbering face. Finally, she took a deep breath and whispered,

"Zaf?"

"Yes, Rynda?"

"Have you ever been in love?"


	16. Chapter 16

**You guys aren't reviewing as much as I thought you would...**

**-pouts in a very Galinda like fashion-**

**Oh well. **

**Enjoy anyways. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 16

Melena was growing annoyed with her blue-skinned wayward daughter.

_Where is that girl?_

"Bolynda!"

Her call went unanswered. She furrowed her brows and shook her head.

"Why does she always leave when she is needed?" she asked to herself angrily. It wasn't the first time her daughter had done this to her. She stepped out of the room and headed down the hall, all the while calling Bolynda's name. She had always found her daughter eventually, whether it was holed up in the furthest corner of the library, in the attic or in the basement downstairs.

Melena's worry increased as the minutes ticked by and still no Bolynda. She had looked in every room in the palace except the guest room, where Zafryna, Frynda, and Glinda were currently at. Swiftly she made her way there, her heart starting to pound in her chest.

Bolynda was missing and she worried that this time it was for good.

***

Zafryna blinked in surprise at her sister's off the wall question.

"Huh…?"

Frynda was about to clarify when the Great Witch appeared at the door, her pale face grim. "I'm assuming Bolynda is in here with you three?" she asked them, looking around.

"No, your Highness," Zafryna told her, still a little shaken by Frynda's question of whether she had ever been in love before. She was secretly grateful for the Great Witch's sudden arrival.

"Damn it," breathed the Great Witch. "Where has she gone off to now?"

"Bolynda's missing?" Frynda asked her, stealing a glance at Zafryna, who had suddenly grown a very pale shade of yellow…almost normal-looking.

Both Frynda and the Great Witch noticed Zafryna's change in skin tone.

"Zaf…?"

"Have you looked in our room yet, your Highness?" Zafryna asked her mother shakily.

The pale woman nodded. "Yes. No sign of her. I was hoping she was here with you two."

"By the Named God!" Zafryna suddenly shouted, making both Frynda and the Great Witch jump. They had never heard the usually placid girl raise her voice like this. At the noise, Glinda murmured in her sleep, turning unto her side.

The three women froze at Glinda's movements. When they made sure the blonde was still asleep, the Great Witch turned to Zafryna.

"What is it, Zafryna?"

"She found it!" the yellow-skinned woman hissed. "She found the spell!"

"What spell?" the Great Witch asked her, her voice low and monotone.

"The Homing Spell Reversal!"

Now it was the Great Witch's turn to pale until she was a ghostly white color. "Oh my…"

Frynda flicked her gaze back and forth between the two older women, not sure what they're referring to. "What's going on? Where's Bolynda?"

Zafryna didn't wait to answer Frynda's question as she rushed out of the room, heading straight for her bedroom. She desperately hoped she was wrong. But knowing how Bolynda was…

Her hand shook as she opened the door to her room. She let out a groan as she realized Bolynda had indeed read the spell and performed it. She could be who-knows-where by now.

The Great Witch and Frynda appeared on either side of Zafryna, looking around the vacant room.

Zafryna stepped forward and shook her head, her pale yellow hair tossing from side to side. "This is just _great_!" she hissed at no one in particular. "Now look at what you've got yourself into, Bolynda!"

Frynda looked at the Great Witch, who looked like she was deep in thought.

"Can you tell me what's going on, your Highness? Please?" the younger woman sounded frantic.

The Great Witch sighed and turned to the young witch, looking deep into her amber eyes. "It seems her sister has gotten hold of the Homing Spell…its Reversal, actually. This spell was the one Elphaba and Glinda used to get here. That was one of the ways one could get from Zo to Oz."

"One of?" Zafryna turned to look at her mother, a rather puzzled look on her face. "There's another way?"

"Well…" The Great Witch glanced at Frynda. "Your sister had to get the Grimmerie _somehow_, right?"

"Of course!" Zafryna looked at Frynda, realizing what the Great Witch was talking about. She wanted to hit herself for not thinking about it earlier. "The Hearth Spell!"

"Aren't I the only one that could walk through fire without getting burned, your Highness?" Frynda asked the Great Witch, a brow raised.

"Not if one uses the Fire Resistant Spell," the Great Witch answered her, using her extensive knowledge of the Grimmerie's many spells. "Its temporary, but it'll do its job."

Zafryna stared at her mother, narrowing her emerald eyes. "So you're saying that…"

"I have to go after your sister. It is the only way."

"But I could go, your Highness-"

"No, Zafryna." The Great Witch shook her head. "I need you to stay here for Elphaba. She will be quite disoriented when she wakes up and finds out she's not in hell after all."

She ignored her daughters' questioning looks as she continued:

"Frynda, you will stay also and help your sister. I need to go to Oz alone. I'll be back as soon as I find Bolynda. She couldn't have gone far. There aren't many blue-skinned people over there, you know."

Zafryna nodded and after a few moments, Frynda did also. She figured the Great Witch knew what she was doing.

"I just hope she hasn't made herself known," the Great Witch muttered under her breath. She then looked at Zafryna. "Is there any way you could See her in your glass so I could get an idea of where to look for her first?"

Zafryna blinked and whipped around towards the direction of her bed. Her heart sinking, she realized her looking glass was gone. "Oh no," she breathed. "Bolynda must have taken it to Oz with her."

Frynda wasn't too sure. She remembered that her blue-skinned sister had told her that she was planning to hide the glass from Zafryna one day as 'intervention'. This could might as well be the day. She looked straight at Bolynda's vanity, knowing from past experience that that's where she kept her most prized possessions. As Zafryna and the Great Witch were busy looking for the glass elsewhere, the red woman made her way to the vanity.

"This is just incredible," Zafryna snarled to herself as she frantically looked through her bed covers and under her pillow. "She knows very well that I'm the only one who could See through that glass. What could she want with it? If she broke it, I swear I'll kick her little blue a-"

"Here it is!"

Both of the women turned to see Frynda holding up the looking glass, a small smile on her face.

"Oh, thank the Named God!" Zafryna breathed as she rushed over to her youngest sister. She grabbed the glass and held it tight, feeling the pounding of her heart vibrating through the clear glass.

"Bolynda must have hidden it," the Great Witch muttered, knowing her daughter only too well. Bolynda was her only daughter that had turned out most like her in every way. She only hoped that she hadn't gotten herself into trouble in Oz, for that could only spell disaster for her and the rest of her family in both lands.

Zafryna peered into her glass, softly stroking its smooth surface. "Show me where Bolynda is."

The Great Witch looked over her shoulder as an image materialized into the glass. She had to squint in order to make out the hazy picture.

"Oh fucking no. No!"

Zafryna's frustrated curse made the Great Witch peer even closer.

"It's this stupid guy again!"

The Great Witch couldn't believe her eyes. Was this…? Could it be…?

"Give me this," she told Zafryna and her daughter shoved the glass into her pale hands, visibly frustrated. The Great Witch studied the image, which was of a dark-skinned, uniformed man. He was about twenty-or-so, with strong, chiseled features. Blue tattoos adorned his face and hands, which were crossed in front of his chest. It wasn't the actual man that made the Great Witch gasp. She didn't recognize him. It was the shimmering, golden OZ sign she saw on his belt. Only one such person wore this emblem, and it was the current ruler of Oz.

"Oh sweet Lurline!"

"What is it? Who is he?" Zafryna asked her quickly.

"Shh, let it finish showing me what it has to show me."

The Great Witch watched as the image contorted and blurred as another figure appeared behind the ruler. Her face contorted in disgust. This was one person she recognized instantly.

"What the hell is _she_ doing there?"

It was Madame Morrible. A woman she thought she had never had to see again. She remembered her from her days at dear old Shiz. The surroundings the looking glass displayed suggested that Morrible and the ruler were in a prison cell. Another figure hovered by them, but it was too far away for the Great Witch to identify properly.

This further confused her. Is this where Bolynda was? Was she the blurry, unidentifiable figure? If so, what was she doing in prison, with Morrible and the ruler of Oz nonetheless?!

She had to get to Oz. And quickly.

The image quickly disappeared abruptly and the looking glass turned clear once again.

"What was that?" Zafryna asked the Great Witch irritably, clearly not liking all of the secrecy and confusion.

"I have to get to Oz as soon as possible." The Great Witch sounded anxious as she gave back the glass to Zafryna. "Do you feel up to performing a Hearth Spell, Zafryna?"

Glancing at the glass in her hands for a moment, Zafryna nodded. "I would like to know what is going on, though," she added dryly.

"Come downstairs and I'll try to explain."

Without another word, the Great Witch exited the room, her cape billowing behind her. Her daughters had no other choice but to follow her as she descended down the stairs two steps at a time.

She stopped in front of the fireplace, the red-orange glow of the fire reflecting eerily on her pale white skin. She turned away from the fire to face her daughters. She gave them a smile. It was now or never.

"First of all, my first name is Melena."

Zafryna blinked. Frynda looked at her sister, not sure what to do with this new information.

"And my last name is Thropp."

That registered immediately in Zafryna's mind. Her eyes widened and her mouth went dry. "Th-Thropp?"

Frynda narrowed her amber eyes, still trying to process what Melena had told them. "Wait, isn't that Elphaba's last name?"

"Exactly."

Frynda stepped backwards in her sudden realization. She sank into the sofa behind her, her eyes staring blankly in a daze. "B-but that means-"

"S-she's our…" Zafryna started to stammer.

"Sister."

Zafryna looked at the woman in front of her, no longer knowing her. She was a complete stranger. This person…Melena Thropp. Who was she? What other secrets have she been hiding from them?

Frynda was still trying to wrap her head around this new revelation. "Elphaba, my sister," she breathed. "She's my sister. Oh my."

"This…this is incredible…" Zafryna muttered, glaring at who she knew now as Melena. "What else have you been hiding from us? Don't tell me you're going to reveal who my father is anytime soon?"

Melena was taken aback by Zafryna's accusing tone. "I have told you already. Your father died before you were born."

Frynda looked at Zafryna, then at Melena. "And _my_ father?" She had never been curious about her father, but she had always wondered.

Melena gave Zafryna a death glare before she turned to Frynda. "Your father left me sixteen years ago, Frynda. Those men are no longer part of our lives. I will not allow further talk of them!"

Her voice echoed throughout the living room as her daughters cringed. They had heard her angry before, but she had never been _this _angry. The topic of parentage has never come up before and Zafryna guessed it was a touchy subject. So she let it drop.

"So, have you told Elphaba yet?" Zafryna asked Melena.

The pale woman nodded. "I have. I don't think she has taken to it well, though. When she wakes up, she is likely to have questions. Just tell her the truth. If she reacts like she had earlier…well, you know the Sleeping Spell, Zafryna."

Zafryna closed her eyes and nodded. She couldn't believe she had another sister. And when she thought she already had enough.

"Do we have any other siblings through Elphaba?" Frynda suddenly asked Melena, wondering what other children Melena managed to have before her.

"Two others," Melena sighed. "A daughter, Nessarose and a son, Shell."

"We have a brother?" Frynda asked, clearly interested. She had never dreamed of having a brother.

"Yes, he's about your age by now." Melena shook her head before she could say any more. She needed to get to Bolynda. Fast. "Zafryna, I have to hurry to Bolynda. She could be anywhere in Oz by now."

Zafryna gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe her mother is going to escape when she had just revealed to them the fact that they had other, previously unknown siblings. Zafryna needed to sort this out and process it slowly, but it was as if Melena wanted to avoid it. Bolynda being missing would have just been a convenient excuse to leave.

"Alright."

Melena nodded. She quickly took off her white cloak, not needing it where she was going. She was wearing her simple, black blouse and long black dress, angrily contrasting with her pale white skin. She faced the fireplace and muttered a simple Fire Resistant Spell, temporary protecting herself from the burning touch of the fire. She reached out a hand to touch the flames, just making sure.

Nothing. She turned around a faced Zafryna again, nodding.

"I am ready."

Zafryna, staring straight into the fire, put her hands to her temples and started to mutter an incomprehensible string of words, feeling her energy start to drain quickly. This spell has been her most advanced yet, sapping almost all of her strength.

Frynda knew from past experience that this wasn't an easy spell for Zafryna and got up to stand next to her, ready to catch her if she fell out of exhaustion. She glanced at Melena, who had moved herself closer to the fire, ready to step through it.

Zafryna started to sway on her feet, her rapid chanting becoming more and more ragged. It was different sending a full grown adult instead of a sixteen-year-old. There were more complications involved. She had to get every word and pronunciation right in order for this spell to work.

"Go through now!" Frynda quickly told Melena, noticing Zafryna's knees starting to buckle.

Without another second to spare, Melena stepped into the fireplace. The flames engulfed her elegant frame and she was gone.


	17. Chapter 17

**Here's chapter 17.**

**Enjoy~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 17

Bolynda landed with a thud.

_Ouch._

Her eyes flickered open. She felt the hard touch of a cold floor on her back and she groaned as she sat up, rubbing the back of her neck with a hand.

_Where am I?_ she asked herself. It was dark. She could barely make out the faint shapes of furniture surrounding her. She figured she was in some kind of house. Shaky, she stood up, grabbing unto a nearby chair to steady herself.

Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, she looked around. It seemed she was in a kitchen. Pots and pans hanging on hooks lined the wall in front of her and the sink overflowed with dirty dishes. She noticed an open window over the stove, drapes blowing in the faint breeze. She smiled.

She walked over to it, peering out into her new world. She could see a faint green glow in the distant night sky, wondering what it was. _This is definitely not Zo,_ she thought happily. _Then_ _I must be in Oz!_

"Wow," she breathed as she gathered in her surroundings. She ran her hands through her silky black, short hair as she backed away from the window. _I gotta get outta here and out there_, she thought excitedly. _This is so cool!_

There had to be a door leading out of this place. She looked around.

_What the…?_

She froze. A voice entered her mind, thanks to her mind-reading abilities. The spell she had used before had apparently worn off. She panicked as she heard the voice again.

_Great Oz! A burglar, just what I needed!_

She turned around, coming face to face with a man not much taller than she was holding a frying pan. Laughing inwardly, she realized he was in his pajamas and nightcap.

"S-stay back!" The man raised the frying pan threateningly. "Or-or I'll-"

"Cook me to death?" Bolynda laughed.

The man was not amused at her apparent cockiness. He bore his teeth and stepped closer. He had enough of people today. When he got a good look at the 'burglar', he let out a gasp, dropping the frying pan.

Bolynda jumped at the sound of clanging. She stared wide-eyed at the black-haired man, her aqua blue eyes flicking back and forth.

"Y-you're b-b-blue!"

Bolynda crossed her arms, her startle forgotten. "Like I haven't heard _that_ before."

She could see the man more clearly now too. He had two black bruises, one on each eye. She thought he looked like a comical raccoon with striped pajamas.

"Who are you?" the man asked her, his voice small and shaky.

"Bolynda. And you?" She reached out a hand for the man to shake. He let out a scream at her sudden movement, cringing backwards. She snorted in order to keep from laughing out loud.

"G-get out m-my house, y-you blue freak!" the man cried out, bending down to get the frying pan from the floor.

Bolynda frowned.

_That's not very nice_, she growled to herself. She reached out her hand and muttered a quick spell, causing the pan to slide out from underneath his grip.

"What the hell?" he gasped.

"Now, let me ask you again. Who are _you_?" Bolynda asked him, using the Levitation Spell to make the frying pan float just above the man's reach.

"I'm not telling you!" the man huffed, jumping for the pan, his only weapon. Oh how he wished he had kept his tin axe…

Bolynda tsked-tsked and looked around the kitchen, all the while using one of her fingers to keep the pan afloat. _Hmm, if he won't tell me, I'll just have to find out for myself…_

With a smile, she spotted a note beside the sink. Using her free hand, she picked it up and started to read it.

The man noticed Bolynda's interest in the note. He gave up on the frying pan and made his way towards her before she could get a chance to read the note.

Too late. She laughed out loud, her concentration breaking. The frying pan dropped to the floor with a loud clang.

"Are you _serious_?" she laughed at him.

The note read:

_Dear Boqy,_

_Your dinner is on the stove._

_Love, Mommy_

Boq ripped the note out of her hands, tearing it up quickly.

"_Boqy_?"

"It's Boq!" the Munchkin growled.

Bolynda couldn't stop her roars of laughter. This man looked old enough to be her _father!_ And he's still living with his mother?

"Stop laughing at me!" Boq whined. "It's just a nickname!"

The blue-skinned girl eventually stopped laughing, wiping away tears from her eyes. "I-I couldn't help it! Boq, then?"

Boq nodded, still looking suspicious. "What are you doing in my house?"

Bolynda shrugged. "I don't know. I kind of…dropped in."

"How?"

Bolynda rolled her eyes. It will be of no use trying to explain to him what happened to her, so she had to do what she had to do. Lie.

"I was looking for you, actually."

Boq was confused. "Me?"

Bolynda, fortunately, was known for her quick-thinking. "Yes, um. It's about your…uh, Mommy?"

"Mother? You know where my mother is?" Boq sounded frantic.

"Yes?" She didn't intend for it to sound as a question, but she had to get somewhere with this Boq guy. She had a world to explore out there.

_They must have taken her to Southstairs_, she heard Boq think. _I knew it!_

"She's in Southstairs," she said, not even knowing what Southstairs was or who _they_ were. "They, uh, took her there after what, uh, happened."

"Oh, that's what I was just thinking! Poor Mother!" wailed Boq. "You must be here to tell me her sentence."

"Sentence?" Bolynda thought quickly. _Southstairs must be some sort of prison, _she thought._ I gotta get this guy to at least give me an idea about this place. It's nighttime, so it won't do me much good to go out there in the dark. I have to stay here tonight._

"No? She's coming back?" Boq asked her, noting her hesitation.

"Uh, no. She has a trial tomorrow. She requested your presence there." _Oh, I'm so good!_ Bolynda thought happily.

"Then I must go!" Boq made a move to go, but Bolynda stopped him with a clearing of her throat.

"No, you can go tomorrow. I need to stay here for the night. As you surely know, the journey there is quite a ways."

"Not really," Boq said. "We can get there in about fifteen minutes by carriage."

"I have been given permission to stay here and rest if need be," Bolynda told him. "And I'm feeling pretty damn tired."

Boq narrowed his eyes.

_This girl's a phony,_ she heard him think. Her heart began to fill with dread. _She thinks I'm _that_ stupid._

"You know," Boq started to say, "I can't get over the fact that you're _blue_." He stepped closer to her, causing her to take a step back. Her back touched the kitchen counter. She had no escape this time.

"A little bit racist, aren't we?" Bolynda snarled, despite the fact she was cornered.

"I'm a bit impartial to the rainbow colored people of Oz," Boq said, the venom thick his voice.

_Especially green ones._ Bolynda could hear his hate-filled thoughts echo in her mind, making her cringe.

"And I'm well aware of the fact you used magic."

Bolynda gulped. "Uh…"

"Argh, I am so sick of you witches!"

With that, Bolynda felt something whack the side of her head and she fell to the floor, unconscious.

Boq dropped the frying pan he had been hiding behind his back all this time and sighed heavily, rubbing his temple.

"Great, now I have a headache."

Leaving Bolynda on the floor, the Munchkinlander shuffled back to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

***

Elphaba shifted on the toilet seat, feeling uncomfortable. She groaned and stretched her arms upwards, her muscles screaming with the effort. It felt like she had been just run over by a stampede of Buffalos.

Her eyes fluttered open. She was still in the bathroom. Hesitantly, she reached for her temple, feeling her pulse beating steady and strong.

_So I am alive…_she thought. _And I'm not in hell._

She then looked at the green bottle of Miracle Elixir on the ground. She bent down and grabbed it, looking at it.

_She saved me. She saved my life._

She shook her head at the thought of the Great Witch, Melena…whoever she was. She couldn't be her mother. It was impossible. Her mother was dead and gone.

The green woman got up from the toilet seat, stretching her back and flexing her legs. She felt strangely rejuvenated, as if she had just run a marathon. Strangely…pumped.

She looked around the bathroom and suddenly felt very claustrophobic. Hurriedly, she left the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She fingered the bottle in her hand as she made her way towards the guest bedroom.

Staring at the door handle, she briefly wondered if Glinda was there. She touched the handle and it opened easily, as if it was closed in a hurry. She quietly stepped in, her eyes falling upon the sleeping from of Glinda.

She sighed at the sight of her love sleeping so peacefully. She made her way towards the blonde, placing the bottle of Miracle Elixir on the dresser as she went. Through the open window, the night poured in, bringing in the light from the full moon.

_You are so beautiful, my love,_ Elphaba thought dreamily, seeing the way the moonlight danced across Glinda's pale skin and golden hair. _I am so glad to be back here with you…_

She gently slipped in beside her love, wrapping her arms around the girl's thin waist. She kissed her cheek as the blonde murmured in her slumber. As if she knew Elphaba was there, Glinda turned around, burying her face against the green woman's chest.

"Mmm, Elphie," she mumbled groggily.

Elphaba chuckled to herself, knowing the blonde often talked in her sleep. And it was always about her. She tightened her grip on her lover's waist and freed a hand to lovingly stroke those soft, blonde curls.

"I will never leave you, my sweet," Elphaba whispered into Glinda's ear. "Never again. I promise."

Suddenly, she remembered it was still her birthday. A smile finally broke upon her lips as she laughed inwardly.

_This has been one hell of a birthday_, she thought.

Within a few moments of silent thought, she fell asleep, her breathing matching her love's perfectly.

***

"I'm okay, Frynda. I'm okay."

Zafryna was breathing hard as she slumped down unto the sofa. She buried her head in her hands, the exhaustion evident in her voice.

Frynda wrapped an arm around her shoulder reassuringly as she sat down beside her sister. She then glanced at the noisily cracking fire where Melena had disappeared just a few moments ago.

"I can't believe she lied to us all this time," Zafryna murmured into her hands at no one in particular. "I had trusted her. I thought…"

Frynda leaned her head against her sister's shoulder as Zafryna let out a heavy sigh.

"Oh well," the yellow-skinned woman muttered dejectedly, lowering her hands to look at the floor. "It doesn't change anything."

Frynda blinked. To her, it changed _everything_. To have another sister…a sister who came from the _other land_…it was amazing.

"It's late," Zafryna told her, turning her head to look into her sister's amber eyes. "You should get some sleep."

"But-"

"Frynda, please. Don't argue with me."

Frynda looked deep into her sister's sad emerald eyes. She closed her eyes.

"What about you, Zaf? You look just as tired as I am, and especially after casting that spell-"

"Don't worry about me," Zafryna said quickly before she could say any more. "I have to stay up just in case Elphaba or Glinda wakes up. Someone has to tell them what happened. And that someone's going to be me."

Frynda couldn't bear to see her sister so miserable, but she knew if she didn't go to bed, it wouldn't do Zafryna or her any good. So she got up and left her sister staring into the fireplace, enveloped deep within her thoughts.

***

Fiyero looked at Morrible, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"We do _what?!_"

"You heard me, dearie! We must tell Oz that Elphaba is alive!" Morrible sounded absolutely ecstatic to the point it was making Fiyero sick.

Fiyero didn't want to betray Elphaba like that. He still loved her too much to sink that low as to rat her out to all of Oz.

Morrible noticed his hesitation with a raised brow. She glanced at Avaric, who shook his head. He didn't want to be a part of this.

"But…why?" Fiyero asked Morrible, his voice a little weak. "Can we do something else? Like send out search parties or something…?"

"Well, sire, this way it will save us months of work! Our Elphaba is an elusive creature! She probably knows her way through Oz like the back of her hand. Remember how look it took for us to finally force her out of hiding?"

Fiyero nodded, indeed remembering how long it had taken to drive Elphaba out in the open. Fortunately, he had been there before any real harm had been done to her. This time, it would be _he_ who would have to harm her in order to get his way. Well, if that is how it had to be done…

"Clearly you do, sire," Morrible said, breaking into his thoughts. "And as former captain of the guard, I'm sure you don't want to suffer through that again. So…let's learn from our mistakes. We must use the most powerful weapon we have in our arsenal. The public's undeniable hatred for her."

Fiyero furrowed his brows in thought. Was she really worth the risk of possible public uproar, panic and turmoil?

His heart already knew the answer: Yes.

"I see your point," the Emperor told Morrible. "Tell me what we have to do."

Suddenly, the older woman took a step forward in his direction. Just as quickly, Avaric made a move towards her, fearing the Emperor's safety. Morrible noticed this and shook her head.

"Shh! I sense another presence here!" she said softly, looking around.

"What's going on?" Fiyero asked her just as softly, clearly annoyed.

"I believe we are being Seen."

"Excuse me?"

"Wait a moment." Morrible raised her arms and began to twirl her hands in circles, muttering inaudibly. After a few beats, she stopped her hand movements and looked around, holding her breath.

Fiyero was growing increasingly impatient as the seconds ticked by. "Morrible?" he asked her. He glanced at Avaric, who looked back at him. He didn't have a clue as to what was going on either.

"That was close," she breathed, lowering her arms. "It's gone now."

"Would you mind telling me what the hell just happened?!" Fiyero growled at her, raising his voice.

Morrible turned to look at him, a scowl formed on her fishy face. "I didn't expect you to know. You are not magical, like I am. What just happened, sire, was that I had caught someone trying to See us magically. You see, there are certain people who have access to looking glasses, or as they're more commonly known as: crystal balls."

"Hm," Fiyero grunted, the term faintly ringing a bell in his head. _I should've paid more attention in class_, he thought distractedly. "So, did they eavesdrop on us? Did they gather any information?"

"Fortunately, no," said Morrible. "In a looking glass you could only See, not Hear. There are other devices for Hearing."

Fiyero softly exhaled. "Good. Last thing I need is someone else knowing about Elphaba-"

"Before we tell them," Morrible quickly interjected. "Your Ozness, to clear out all of that doubtification in your mind, just know that I will only work to _your_ benefit. I will stay loyal to you and stick to whatever _you_ agree with."

Avaric, who had been listening in on their conversation from a discreet distance away, couldn't help but notice Morrible's awfully insincere voice. He secretly hoped Fiyero would take note of this, but it seemed his friend was in another world.

"I'm glad to hear that." Fiyero smiled at Morrible, inwardly repulsed by her. _Oh the things I do for love…_he thought dismally.

"I can assure you, sire," Morrible told him, her voice laced with false admiration, "you will _not_ regret this."

Without another word, the trio left Southstairs and stepped into the cold, clear night.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Melena stepped out of the fire, her eyes closed. When she opened them, she found herself in a rather small kitchen. She looked around, wondering where the spell had taken her.

She could deduce from her extensive knowledge of magic that the spell had sent her to a place where it had been performed last. So that means…

_This must be where my daughter and her girlfriend lives_, Melena thought. She walked over to the stairwell, taking note of its wide span.

_Elphaba never did like enclosed spaces,_ she thought with a smile. _Just like me._

She carefully ascended the stairs, hoping to learn more about her daughter and her girlfriend through the contents of their home. When she finally reached the top of the stairs, she was greeted by the sight of a slightly open door.

_This must be their bedroom_, Melena guessed, peering inside the room. Being the mother that she was, she grew a little worrisome on what sort of activities Elphaba and Glinda might have been engaging in by the way the room was in disarray. But then she remembered that Frynda had made an unexpected appearance not too long ago.

_Elphaba must have been her protective self_, Melena thought, thinking back on how her daughter had strongly defended her blonde girlfriend when she had threatened them whilst having an 'episode'. Quietly, she slipped into the room, closing the door behind her.

Since it was nighttime, it was hard for her to see clearly. She quickly muttered a quick enchantment, producing a ball of light in her right hand. Holding it up like a lantern, she made her way through the room, stepping over the bed covers that were laying haphazardly on the floor as she went.

Judging by the two raggedy looking bookcases she saw by the room window, she guessed that Elphaba had indeed kept her love of books even after Shiz. She noticed a rather empty spot on the highest shelf of the second bookshelf closest to the window. Her heart sinking a little, she realized that must have been the place Elphaba would have kept the Grimmerie if Frynda hadn't come and stolen it away.

She then quickly glanced at Elphaba's nightstand, where she could see a modest looking lamp and her daughter's reading glasses folded up neatly over a reading book titled: _The Original Organic Formulas of Master Yenther Jinko_

Melena blinked in confusion. _Not my kind of reading, that's for sure!_ she chucked to herself.

Stepping away from the nightstand, she walked towards what she assumed was Glinda's side of the bed. She noticed the blonde had a large wardrobe instead of bookcases and she concurred that was more than big enough for her and Elphaba.

Even though she knew she was invading their privacy by doing so, she couldn't help but open the wardrobe, revealing a flurry of pink, purple and yellow.

_Oh my!_ she thought.

She knew Elphaba wouldn't have stood for wearing such clashing colors, so she guessed those garments could only belong to Glinda. It is only when she parted Glinda's clothes she could see Elphaba's meager stock of clothing. She saw that Elphaba owned several black frocks, a rather lacy black nightdress (she left that one to Glinda's doing), a thick black sweater for colder weather and a pair of black pants.

_Pants?!_ she thought incredulously. _Since when does she wear pants?_

She shook her head, closing the wardrobe._ I_ _missed more than I had originally thought I had_, she thought dismally. _She had become a completely different person_.

Melena walked past a small mirrored vanity she assumed was Glinda's by the way it was littered with makeup items and perfume bottles. For a reason she couldn't place, she stopped in front of the rather large mirror. She gazed at her reflection, wondering what Elphaba saw in her now. Due to the Transformation Spell she had used on herself, she looked very different than the old Melena, who had tumbling brown hair, beautiful olive skin and blazing emerald eyes, like her other daughter, Zafryna. Now she had stark white hair, a ghostly pale face and steely gray eyes.

Gently touching her cheeks, she noticed how they have become gaunter, more rigid-like. It was as if she had become a pillar of ice these last fifteen years she had been out of Elphaba's life. Blinking away tears, she moved away from the mirror.

After a moment to recollect her thoughts, Melena turned to the door right next to the vanity.

_This must be their bathroom_, she thought. She flinched as she remembered what happened in the bathroom in her palace back in the land of Zo. Without further hesitation, she quietly opened the door, stepped inside and closed it behind her.

Muttering a quick word, she increased the intensity of her ball of light, illuminating the whole bathroom. She let her gaze wander over the small bathroom, noticing the absence of a shower or tub. _Glinda must have taken Elphaba's water allergy into serious consideration_, she thought, admiring her daughter's girlfriend and proud that Elphaba had chosen someone who understood her despite her…oddities. What she was a little uncomfortable with was that it was someone of the same gender, but she refused to be like her former husband, Frexspar. He was a strict Unionist in every sense of the word.

She looked down at the simple porcelain sink and then to the medicine cabinet that hung over it. She smiled as she saw the numerous bottles of oils her green daughter uses to bathe herself. _When I get back to Zo I have to remember to get some for her_, she reminded herself. Using her free hand, she gently removed one from its place and let its scent waft over to her nose.

It smelled woodsy. It smelled like Elphaba.

Melena put it back with the others, still smiling to herself. There was never a time when she didn't regret leaving her children in Oz. With a sigh, she told herself that she had to. For her children's sake.

She had been leading a double life back then.

When she was just a girl at Shiz University, she had discovered the land of Zo by accident. She had the Grimmerie with her one day and was perusing through it, something she had done when she wasn't out chasing boys or studying for her numerous tests and essays. She had stumbled upon the Homing Spell, the same spell Elphaba and Glinda had used to get to Zo in the first place. It had intrigued her and just like the curious teenage girl she was, she had performed it without thinking about the consequences. Soon she had found herself in a strange land. Just like the Wizard of Oz, she had been received as a miracle from another land, destined to lead the fallen land of Zo to new, great heights. She never liked the notion of power, for having the Eminent Thropp (or Governor of Munchkinland) as a father made her think power is such a consuming thing. Too bad she didn't realize that her lust was also a consuming thing.

The old Melena Thropp had been one hormonal teenager back then, with boys panting and lusting after her beautiful and buxom looks. She then realized that the men in Zo didn't look too bad either…maybe even better. So she had agreed to lead the people of Zo, as cheesy as that sounded. They were elated and started calling her the 'Great Witch'. Thus started her life as two people:

One as the Great Witch: ruler of Zo, and one as Melena Thropp: Shiz student then later wife of Frexspar in Munchkinland. She had been a mess, slinking around with men in both lands, never once looking at the consequences. When she started having _children_ in both lands, however, she realized things had to change. When she had Zafryna in Zo, she had already had Elphaba in Oz. Frexspar had never questioned her about her whereabouts when she had left all those days. He had always been on missions to spread his faith, too busy to worry about her.

Nessarose was next, then Bolynda. She was growing weary of her back and forth lives, but she knew she had been enjoying it.

_I was such a slut,_ she thought to herself bitterly, knowing that's a big understatement.

She had been using the Transformation Spell on and off as she switched from land from land, changing her appearance every time she changed character. Frexspar had been feeding her those dreadful milkflowers, which she had been expertly throwing out, knowing Elphaba's green skin was caused by the extensive amounts of Miracle Elixir that she had consumed during her conception.

What Frex had never learned was that Nessarose's fragile state had not been because of the plants, but rather, the effects of her appearance changing so often. It had been starting to take a toll on her.

And soon that toll had been reached. She realized that her changes had become more and more permanent and Frex had started to ask questions: _Why have you become so deathly pale? What is happening to your hair? Are your eyes changing color? What's going on, Melena?_ She knew she couldn't keep avoiding the questions for long. When she was pregnant for the fifth and last time, she knew something had to be done. She couldn't keep this going any longer. That was when she realized she was having twins.

What she hadn't mentioned to Frynda before leaving Zo was that Shell, her brother, was actually her _twin_. He doesn't share her same skin condition, being a normal child.

_The abnormalities seem to be with just my girls,_ she thought angrily.

She remembered when she had pretended to have died when Shell had been born, giving birth by herself in the kitchen. She had not allowed anybody to enter the room so she could magically transport baby Frynda to Zo where a waiting Nanny would take care of her. That's when she found out her red daughter was naturally resistant to fire when she used the Hearth Spell through the kitchen's open-flame oven. After that she had given birth to Shell, finally allowing the Midwife to assist her. Nobody suspected a thing when she 'died'…or in truth just casted a spell on herself that sent her into a deep comatose state.

Frex had concluded that she had been sick, explaining the paleness that had been steadily taking over her body for the past several years. Within a few hours they had buried her. Half an hour later, she had woken up and realized that she was underground. She was lucky that it had been night when she climbed out of her 'grave'. She chuckled to herself when she recalled the look of horror on the face of a nearby grave keeper when she appeared before him.

_I must have looked like a zombie with my white hair and skin,_ she thought.

She had then transported herself to the land of Zo via Teleportation Spell, another way one could travel from both lands. It wasn't until later that she was starting to miss her other children in Oz, regretting that she had left them alone with their Unionist father.

It was when Elphaba and Nessarose entered Shiz she had decided to go and see them for the first time in about a decade. She traveled to Oz and using an alias, made her way to the Ozian Train Station where she could see her daughters and her former husband. It had made her so proud to see her daughters doing well together, yet at the same time the fact that she couldn't be with them pained her. They had to grow up without a mother, yet their sisters in Zo had a mother. It wasn't fair.

From then on she had been keeping tabs on them with quick stops in the Emerald City now and then. That's when she learned that Elphaba had defied the Wizard in order to help the Animals, earning her the name 'Wicked Witch of the West'. She had also learned of Glinda the Good and the true Wizard of Oz. With a repulsion that she still felt today, she realized the Wizard had fathered Elphaba, remembering his deep and sultry voice from the day he had seduced her with the Miracle Elixir. She wasn't sure if Elphaba had figured it out yet, so she decided to keep it to herself for the time being. Based on her strong intuition, she had a feeling that Glinda also knew, but for some reason hadn't told her love yet.

_I guess Elphaba wouldn't take it lightly,_ Melena thought sadly.

It wasn't until five years later that Melena had finally decided to reveal herself to her offspring in Oz, once again using her alias. She had wanted Nessarose and Shell to know too, but she had concluded that Elphaba was the strongest emotionally. For the first time in five years she visited Oz once more. It seemed in turmoil when she arrived there, with the government trying to reestablish itself after the mysterious death of Glinda the Good. She then learned that her daughter had also died when a bucket of water had been thrown on her by a girl named Dorothy. She had cried heavy tears of grief for her, realizing that she was still capable of such emotions for her green daughter even though they had been apart for nearly fifteen years. As for Nessarose, she hadn't heard anything from her except that she was Governor of Munchkinland now and something had happened to her. The man who had provided her this information wasn't very clear, for he was a Quadling and Quadlings had heavy, often unintelligible accents.

So she returned to Zo in a state of depression. If it wasn't for Zafryna and her emerald green eyes always reminding her that she had a green daughter to think of back in Oz, she decided she was going to try again. It wasn't like Elphaba to just…_die_.

She told her daughters of a 'green witch' existing in Oz and they had been mystified, especially Frynda. She wanted to know more about this green witch and even volunteered to go to Oz and look for her. Melena had shaken her head, knowing the supposed 'green witch' was dead, but she couldn't crush the already sensitive Frynda in that way. So she had thought to seek out her long lost Grimmerie instead. If anything, she could find a spell that could bring the witch back to life in the book, but she knew there was little hope, for she had memorized the book from cover-to-cover.

She had used the excuse of 'let's see of Oz still exists' in order to get Zafryna and Bolynda to cooperate with her to get the Grimmerie to Zo. When Frynda had returned with the Grimmerie and the news that Elphaba was still alive, Melena knew that she had to get her daughter to the safety of Zo before Oz could fall into any more political turmoil (not to mention that she was still wanted as the Wicked Witch of the West). It was just her luck that Elphaba and Glinda had discovered the Homing Spell…

…_and just in time too_, Melena thought, remembering the gruesome sight of Elphaba bleeding on the floor from her shot wound. She shuddered involuntarily.

A yawn brought her back to the present. Melena was exhausted.

_Bolynda has to wait until tomorrow,_ she thought. _Right now I feel as if I'm going to fall asleep without even knowing it._

She looked around the bathroom one more time before exiting back into Elphaba's bedroom. She figured she would stay here for the night then head out to look for her blue-skinned daughter at dawn. She looked at the messy bed contemplatively, debating with herself whether or not to sleep in it.

The pale woman decided against it.

_I've invaded enough of their privacy to sleep in their bed too_, she concluded and left the bedroom to go down the stairs and into the kitchen. She continued walking until she was in another room. It was a small living room, with a cushy sofa and two matching chairs. It was also a den of sorts with a desk in the far corner of the wall. A few more bookshelves lined the wall around the desk, making it a cozy study.

_Must have been Elphaba's idea,_ she thought. She walked towards the desk, glancing at the numerous books and papers that littered the top. A small, leather bound book at the far right corner of the desk caught her immediate attention. An elegant silver pen rested on top of it.

_This must be her journal_, Melena guessed, gingerly removing the pen and picking up the book with a pale white hand. She felt horrible for wanting to read her daughter's most private thoughts, but she had to discover who the real Elphaba was. Not the little girl Elphaba she left behind all those years ago, but the new Elphaba. Her now fully grown, adult daughter.

She sat in one of the chairs and set her ball of light down to rest on one of the chair's arms, illuminating the space around her. Despite how tired she was, she opened the journal. A faded pink ribbon fell unto her lap, making her chuckle. She wouldn't doubt that it had once belonged to Glinda. She turned the word-filled pages to the most recent date. It was yesterday.

_Dear Journal,_

_To start, Glinda said she had something special for me planned for tomorrow. I wonder what it is. My blonde love always has something up her pretty little sleeve. We had a few Antelopes visit us today delivering some much needed supplies, including some of my oils. I was angry when I heard the report of several Elephant deaths not too far from here. If only someone had warned me sooner I could've stopped it! Glinda keeps telling me that I should stay close to the house for safety reasons, but I just can't stand sitting here and watching as Animals are continuing to be oppressed! It was as if all my life's work is going down the drain! Glinda wouldn't understand. She doesn't know what I went through. _

_On a lighter note, though, the vegetables I planted in the garden seem promising. I was never a gardener (Glinda tells me they're only surviving because I secretly magicked them. Hah, what she doesn't know won't hurt her). Anyways, the tomatoes look a bit…green to me, but Glinda told me why and I quote: "Baby tomatoes are green because they're jealous. They see that their mommies and daddies are big and red but they're small and green. But then later on they will grow up to be big red grown-up tomatoes and have little baby tomatoes of their own that are jealous and green." I had teased her that maybe I was jealous because of my green color. Being the girl she was, Glinda had teased me right back. What she said I won't put here. It makes me blush just thinking about it. _

_Sometimes I wonder why she had chosen me out of every other suitor she had. I won't lie, though. Ever since Shiz, I had been hoping she would come to her senses and settle down. But…why with me? I often try looking at myself through her eyes and I see nothing. Only a gangly, awkward green girl. What does she see in me that I can't even see in myself? I wonder if she asks herself the same thing. I would tell her that I see a person that's my sun, moon and stars. My whole world. Every time I look into those blue eyes I find myself positively melting (and I'm not talking REAL melting because, as you already know, I can pull that off pretty well). She's the reason I live and breathe. If I didn't have her in my life I don't know what I'd be doing. Probably with that jackass Fiyero. _

_Speaking of a certain jackass, I haven't heard of him ever since I went into hiding with Glinda. I have no doubt he still has feelings for me. It worries me sometimes that I had hurt him a bit too much when I said goodbye, but it was for the best. Glinda had wedged herself back into my life and this time I can't let go her go. I'm sorry, Fiyero, but I love Glinda. _

_Oh, how I love her so much. _

_Uh-oh, I hear the aforementioned blonde calling for me upstairs. I wonder what she wants. _

_Until tomorrow,_

_Elphaba _

Melena laughed as she read the last line. She had no doubt what the blonde wanted. Her eyelids drooped with her increasing weariness. She perused over her daughter's neat handwritten entry one more time, chuckling when she reached the part about the tomatoes.

_Just like you, my dear Fabala,_ she thought affectionately.

She closed the journal and set it aside, yawning. She quickly extinguished the ball of energy that had been providing her light and got up, stretching out her sore muscles. Without hesitation, she shuffled towards the couch and draped herself over it, falling asleep within moments.


	19. Chapter 19

**This is probably my favorite chapter out of all that I've written so far (brace yourselves, I've already written 38 chapters to this story). Not to mention that it is a bit longer than usual...and it's brimming with Gelphie!! :D**

**Oh, and don't be afraid to hit that little green review button thingy at the bottom and type a nice review. You don't know how happy those make me. (No, I'm not begging or anything...okay, maybe I am...a little...) :P**

**Enjoy, guys. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 19

"Eeelphiiieee…"

"Mmph."

"Eeelphiieeee…"

A giggle.

"Mmph!"

"Oh, Elphie, wake up!"

Elphaba opened her eyes, staring straight into two beautiful, sparkling blue orbs.

"There she is!" Glinda giggled, bouncing up and down. "Good morning, beautiful!"

Elphaba couldn't help but bounce right along with her blonde love since the girl was straddling her, pinning her to the bed.

"Okay, okay, Glinda!" she groaned. "I'm awake!"

Glinda laughed and kissed her for all she's worth. Elphaba exhaled when the blonde finally released her.

"Please, Glinda! Not yet! My breath-"

"Smells wonderful," Glinda finished for her. "Oh, Elphie, I'm so glad to have you back and guess what?!"

Elphaba raised a brow. "What?"

"We're alive!"

With that Glinda kissed her green love again, this time Elphaba returning it with vigor.

"That we are!" Elphaba chuckled, caressing her love's cheek. "Oh, Glinda, I'm-"

"Shh." Glinda gave her a light peck and bent down to her ear. "Just kiss me."

And kiss her she did. They didn't need words. That sole kiss had already spoken volumes and volumes.

Elphaba finally ended the kiss after a few beats and looked deep into Glinda's eyes. "I love you, baby," the green woman whispered in her love's ear, stroking her golden curls affectionately.

"I love you too," Glinda replied, nuzzling into the crook of Elphaba's neck and wrapping her arms around her thin waist. "More than you know."

Elphaba closed her eyes when she felt Glinda's breath hot on her neck. "I will never, _ever_, leave you alone like that again, Glinda," she growled, her voice shaky with conviction. "Never."

"You scared me so much, Elphie," the blonde whispered feebly. "I thought I had lost you for good."

"I'm here now, with you. That's all that matters."

Glinda hugged her tighter. "Together."

Elphaba kissed her forehead and rested her chin on top of her love's head before replying,

"Always together."

***

Zafryna woke up with a start. The faint light showing through the window next to her bed told her it was barely dawn.

She hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Something had kept nagging in the back of her mind, preventing her from a good night's sleep.

She sighed. It wasn't as if it hadn't happened before.

The yellow-skinned woman looked over to the bed next to hers, where she could still hear the soft snoring of her youngest sister.

_She must have been very tired last night_, Zafryna thought, rubbing at her still-drowsy eyes with the back of a hand. She laid her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't fall asleep. She had been having these bouts of insomnia lately and not knowing why. It was killing her both physically and mentally.

She knew Elphaba and Glinda would still be sleeping in the guest bedroom after all what happened yesterday. She had snuck a look at them before she had gone to bed last night; seeing them cuddled together had brought a faint smile to her lips.

She knew her green previously-unknown sister was beyond happy in the arms of her blonde lover. A strange feeling had crept up her spine as she was gazing upon the sight of the two lovers intertwined like that. What was that feeling?

She had blamed it on her exhaustion and went to bed. Right now she wished she hadn't gone to bed at all. It was a pointless endeavor on her part.

_Why can't I sleep?_ she thought in frustration. She reached under her pillow for her sacred looking glass and felt its ever-cold, smooth surface. It brought a calm reassurance for her, as it had always done in years past.

She shivered, remembering the image of that dark-skinned man it had shown her twice already. _Who is he? _she thought. _And why was Melena so distressed by him?_

She had started calling the Great Witch 'Melena' after her revelation, feeling there is no point in denying the truth. Her mother had lied to her all her life. All _twenty-three years_ of her life.

As she lay there in bed, wide awake, she wondered whether or not she should try to See her mother in Oz using her glass. But then she found herself not really caring much.

_It doesn't matter to me anymore,_ she thought. _She could die for all I care._

She knew it was wrong of her to think of her mother that way, but she couldn't forget the fact that she had been lied to. She felt…_betrayed_.

Before she changed her mind, she grabbed the looking glass and sat up against the headboard of her bed. She peered into the glass, noticing its usually clear interior swirling as if it was made out of smoke.

_But I haven't asked it anything yet_, she thought wonderingly.

The smoke cleared and it showed the form of a man sleeping in a rather luxurious four-post bed. It was that same man who she kept seeing in her glass over and over again. Zafryna let out a frustrated sigh and sank back into her pillow, all the while staring into the glass at the man.

"Who are you?" she asked the man in the glass. As a response, the man turned in his sleep, revealing his face more clearly than ever before. She gave a sharp intake of breath. The man was strikingly handsome and strangely…_alluring_.

Zafryna had never known many men in her life; being holed up in the palace her whole life cut her off from the outside world. The only man she knew well was the doorman at the palace's gate. And he was old enough to be her _father_. The others were just dignitaries and diplomats who came to the palace every so often to speak with her mother. But none of them had caused this strange of an effect on her. It was like the man was…_drawing_ her to him.

Frynda's strange question came back to her in a rush.

_Have you ever been in love?_

Looking deeply at the man in her glass, Zafryna could feel something stirring in her heart…

…something like love.

***

Elphaba had to keep from moaning aloud as Glinda nipped at the base of her neck. She could feel her lover's tongue flicking back and forth across her clavicle as she continued to tease her arousal spot.

The blonde paused in her tongue-play to giggle, knowing that this kind of foreplay drove her green love mad.

"Mm, Glinda," Elphaba groaned as Glinda resumed, tracing circles around her love's temple using her tongue. "Uh-"

"No, Elphie," Glinda giggled. "Let me do the talking _for_ you."

Before the blonde could continue, however, Elphaba captured her roaming tongue into her own mouth, tugging on it lightly before kissing her full on.

Glinda moaned into the kiss as Elphaba gently flipped her over, getting into a more dominant position. She felt the green woman's hands wander down her chest, finally resting on her already pert breasts over her thin blouse.

"Yes, Elphie," the blonde told her softly, wrapping her legs around the green woman's waist. "Touch me the way only _you_ can."

Elphaba found her words strangely erotic and kissed her with fervor. She started to unbutton Glinda's blouse, fumbling over the last two buttons.

"Sweet Oz, Elphie!" Glinda breathed heavily, moving Elphaba's hands away to finish unbuttoning the blouse. Like a ragdoll, she tossed the discarded garment aside as Elphaba started to work on unhooking her brassiere. Now _that_ was something she was good at.

In no time Glinda was only in her panties, reserving that for Elphaba to remove when the time was right. The green woman gave a sharp exhale as she took in the sight of her lover's cream-colored skin.

"Great Oz, you're beautiful," the green woman whispered huskily.

Glinda smiled at her childish awe, even though they had seen each other naked hundreds of times before. "Your turn."

"Be my guest." Elphaba gave her one of her rare, eager smiles as the blonde started to remove the thin, frayed gray dress she wore.

"Let's get rid of this thing once and for all," Glinda growled, slipping the dress over Elphaba's head, throwing it over her shoulder and onto the floor.

Elphaba, being the attentive girl that she was, noticed the double entendre in Glinda's words. Her lover was angry at the dress for causing the whole mess and of course…she didn't need the dress for what they were doing, so might as well 'get rid of this thing once and for all'.

Glinda let her hands trace patterns over her love's now exposed green skin as the girl smiled down on her.

"And you, my love," Glinda whispered to her, looking up into her endearing chocolate brown eyes. "Are so beautiful..."

"If you say so," Elphaba chuckled.

Glinda frowned. "But you _are_," she whined.

"I'll take your word for it."

"_Elphie!_"

They had been through this before. Elphaba had never thought of herself as beautiful, or even pretty. _Who would consider someone with skin as green as sin beautiful?_ she had thought to herself many times. But then Glinda came into her life and changed everything. Back when they were roommates at Shiz, the blonde had told her green friend that she was indeed beautiful. Even with her friend's urging, Elphaba still couldn't see what Glinda found in her that was so attractive.

_To tell the truth,_ she thought to herself, _I find myself quite…repulsive._

"Elphie," Glinda said, snapping her out of her brief reverie. "You _are_ beautiful."

Elphaba just smiled at her and gave her a substantial kiss.

"If I am beautiful," she whispered into her blonde love's ear, "then you must be a goddess."

Glinda beamed at this and in one swift movement brought Elphaba closer to her, their bare chests coming in close contact.

"Sweet Oz," Elphaba moaned loudly. "Glinda-"

Her words were cut off as pink lips reached over to capture her green ones. Glinda tightened the grip that her legs had wrapped around Elphaba's waist, eliciting another hefty moan from her lover.

The blonde then moaned herself as Elphaba lowered her head and started to tease her breasts with quick, light kisses. Glinda grabbed her love's straight, black hair and forcefully pushed her lower to kiss her way down her taut stomach.

"Someone's a little needy this morning," Elphaba huffed between kisses.

"You d-don't know how l-long I've been waiting for this!" Glinda exhaled heavily, giving a loud groan as Elphaba neared that one spot that was on fire since the first time the green woman had kissed her this morning. Right now the only thing between her and Elphaba were a pair of pink panties.

Elphaba heard this and stopped her trail of kisses to look up at Glinda. The blonde's head was thrown back against the pillow in her own version of ecstasy. When she noticed Elphaba had stopped, she lifted her head to glare at her love, her blue eyes twinkling in annoyance.

"Why'd you stop?" she whined childishly.

Elphaba gave her a smirk. "Well, my sweet, it seems we are not alone."

Glinda let out a scream and looked around for the person who had witnessed their most private of moments.

"No, no!" Elphaba hurriedly reached over and cupped the blonde's mouth before she could make another noise. "I mean we are not alone in the general _vicinity_. You are not exactly quiet when we make love, my dear."

Glinda blinked, clearly still confused.

"Do you want to whole palace to hear us when we…you know…um…" Elphaba was never comfortable talking about these things aloud.

Glinda's eyes then opened wide, finally understanding. She nodded against Elphaba's hand and indicated to her that she would be quiet.

Elphaba removed her hand from her love's mouth and replaced it with her lips. She felt Glinda greedily return the kiss, still feeling very much aroused.

"I still want to, you know," Elphaba whispered into her ear.

"Me too, Elphie," Glinda said. "I understand, though."

Elphaba smiled. "I'm glad. We have something more important to focus on first."

Glinda raised a brow. _What's more important than spending time together?_ she thought a little bitterly.

"Like…?"

"_Like…_how are we going to get out of here?"

Glinda wanted to hit herself. _Of course!_

"I don't exactly want to see that woman again," Elphaba growled. She then remembered what _that woman _had told her. It still rattled her mind.

"Elphie," Glinda said, caressing her cheek and looking up into her worried eyes. "What's wrong? You seem confused."

"It was something she said to me when I was being revived," Elphaba told her. "She…she told me…"

"It's okay, sweetheart," Glinda reassured her, giving her lips a kiss. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Elphaba shook her head. "No, I need to tell you. I have to tell _someone._ She told me she was Melena."

Glinda looked at her as if she had just said rain wasn't wet. "_What?_"

"Yes, Glinda. She told me she was my mother."

"But didn't she-"

"Die? Yes. I thought so too."

Glinda turned her eyes away from Elphaba's brown gaze and looked contemplative for a few moments. "Elphie, it is quite possible that she could be Melena."

Elphaba blinked at her, the surprise evident on her sharp, green face. "What do you mean, Glinda?"

"Elphie, all of Oz thinks you and I are dead. And just look at us. We're pretty much alive, aren't we?"

Elphaba pursed her lips, thinking about it. She had to give it her love. She could be pretty logical at times. "So, you think she faked her own death?"

Glinda nodded.

"But that's impossible!" Elphaba breathed, quickly moving from her place on top of Glinda to pace on the floor. "I was there myself!"

Glinda frowned. She liked having Elphaba's body pressed up against her like that. She sat up and propped up on her elbow, watching her naked green love pace back and forth with an amused expression.

"Slow down, love," she told her gently after a few minutes. "You're wearing a hole on the carpet."

Elphaba reluctantly stopped and turned to look at Glinda, her expression one of confusion and sorrow mixed together. "I…I don't know what to do."

Glinda gingerly stepped out of the bed and walked over to her love, cupping her face in her hands. "You will do absolutely nothing." She then kissed her, trying to convey reassurance to her obviously distressed love.

Elphaba returned the kiss softly and reached up to grab Glinda's hands in hers. "You're right, Glinda. I can't change anything now." She turned away from Glinda to look at the frayed gray dress that was splayed out on the floor among Glinda's clothes. She walked over to it and bent down to pick it up.

"What are you doing?" Glinda asked her as Elphaba brought it over to her.

"This was hers," she explained to the blonde. "I remember it now. This was the dress she wore when I last saw her when she was buried in the cemetery at Colwen Grounds."

Glinda took her eyes off the dress to look into her love's eyes.

Elphaba, however, still had her gaze fixed on the dress in her hands. "She must have gotten upset when she saw me wearing it."

Glinda nodded. "That explains a lot."

"But it still doesn't explain _why _she had left all these years ago," Elphaba said, a new, hard edge to her voice.

Glinda recognized this tone of voice very well. She back away a little, knowing her love had to vent out quite a few feelings about this. So she went to sit at the corner of the bed, listening as Elphaba started to pace again.

"I can't believe she did this to me!" Elphaba ranted, fingering the fabric of the dress in her hands. "To my--to _her_--family! She left us to fend for ourselves!"

Elphaba paused and looked at Glinda, who was hooking her brassiere as she started to dress again. The blonde looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile, urging her to go on.

Elphaba shook her head and gripped the dress tighter. "She had basically left me to take care of Nessa and Shell. We had a Nanny, but she had been away for some reason or other then. Father had no idea what to do since Nanny wasn't available to take care of Shell. He turned cold…not that he hadn't treated me any differently before, but what surprised me was that he was colder towards my siblings. He still loved Nessa to death, but Shell…Shell was just a baby."

Glinda finished slipping on her skirt and looked at Elphaba quizzically. "Shell?"

"Father_ hated_ Shell for the first few weeks. He blamed him for taking Melena away from us."

Elphaba closed her eyes in pain, remembering one of the hardest times in her already hard life.

"He refused to even look at the baby. I felt really bad for poor Shell, for Father had also blamed me for Nessa's condition, as you know. He…he even threatened to throw him into the river one time."

"No!" Glinda gasped.

Elphaba nodded sadly. "I was terrified, for I knew once Shell was in the water, I couldn't get him out. I would die too."

Glinda inwardly seethed with anger. Elphaba rarely talked about her childhood but when she did, she hated it. _What kind of a man would threaten their son and daughter like that?_ she thought angrily. _Poor Elphie…_

"So I hid Shell for a few days until Father came to his senses and Nanny came home," Elphaba continued, breaking Glinda from her thoughts. "I could still remember how Shell would cry and cry. I had nothing to feed him…I was just nine…"

That's when Elphaba started to shake. Glinda hurriedly went over to her love and wrapped her arms around her.

"Of course Nessa wouldn't help me. She was only five. She thought her Mama had left us for only a few days. Father wouldn't tell her what really happened. It wasn't until later that I told her she was dead and…and…"

Elphaba started to cry into Glinda's hair as the blonde hugged her tighter.

"…she slapped me. She slapped me so hard it bruised. And the worst thing was…"

Glinda closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying not to cry herself.

"Father watched it all. He then took me away and beat me long and hard, calling me 'devil-child' and 'thing' for telling Nessa. That's when he switched the blame on my mother's death from Shell to me. He was convinced I had sickened her with my vile disease. He then took Shell away from me and loved him. He loved him for not being green, like me."

Glinda wasn't prepared for Elphaba's sudden choke. She offered her shoulder as Elphaba started to sob heavily, something she had never seen her do before. She felt the hot tears seep onto her blouse as Elphaba cried.

"G-Glinda," Elphaba stammered after a few moments. "I-I'm s-sorry-"

"Shh, Elphie," Glinda whispered shakily, stroking her love's long, black hair. "It's okay. Let it all out."

Elphaba shook her head against Glinda's shoulder. "Y-you shouldn't be hearing about t-this."

Glinda grew concerned as Elphaba drew back, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.

"No, your hand…Elphie, your face!" Glinda reached over to touch Elphaba's tear-streaked cheek, stained red as the droplets of water made their way down her face. The green woman shook her head and turned her back on her love.

"No, Glinda." Her voice was more composed. "It doesn't matter anyways. What's past is past. I can't change it."

Glinda felt her heart breaking as she heard her Elphie's defeated, resigned tone. "Oh, Elphie…"

"I'm okay, Glinda, honestly." Elphaba chuckled half-heartily. "I deserved it."

Glinda, however, knew better than that. She walked closer to the green woman she called her girlfriend.

"Elphie, that's absolutely horrible," she told her, putting a hand on her love's bare green shoulder. "You mustn't treat it like it's some simple thing-"

Elphaba abruptly turned around to face Glinda. "Then what do you suppose I treat it like, then?" she asked her, a little more vehemently than she intended.

"Like you actually _care_, Elphaba!" Glinda told her, raising her voice to the same level as Elphaba's.

"Care? Care about what?"

"Care about _yourself_! This can't go on any longer!" Glinda was now on the verge of tears.

Elphaba blinked at the sudden turn of events.

"You must learn how to recognize that what your family did to you was _wrong_, Elphaba. You have to stop blaming yourself for everything."

Elphaba knew that this was related to what happened yesterday. "Glinda, I can't help it. Just like I can't stop blaming myself for Nessa's death-"

Glinda flinched at that.

"-I can't help blaming myself for everything else. It's my nature. That's the way things are."

"That's not true," Glinda told her forcefully. "Just because your father had blamed you for every damn thing that went wrong in his life doesn't mean that you should do the same thing and blame _yourself_ for every damn wrong thing that happens in _your _life."

Elphaba knew that Glinda was right, but she couldn't face the fact that everything she had believed in was wrong. She had to put that away to sort out for another time.

"You're absolutely right, my sweet," she whispered, looking into the blonde's blazing blue eyes. "But…I just can't sort this out right now, okay?"

Glinda opened her mouth to argue, but then decided against it. Her love was confused enough already. She just gathered Elphaba into an embrace and held her for a bit, soaking in feel of her green love in her arms.

"We have to figure a way to get out of here," Elphaba told her as they parted. "I can't stand it here anymore."

Glinda nodded. She then looked at her still-naked love, smiling to herself.

Elphaba noticed this. "What?"

"Are you planning to escape naked…?"

"Oh!" Elphaba blushed, and then laughed, suddenly in a much better mood than before. "As much as you would like that, my sweet, I can't."

"Aw," Glinda giggled, knowing her love could read her like an open book.

Elphaba looked down at the dress in her hands. She threw it on the bed and walked over to the dresser, seeing the Miracle Elixir she had placed there a few hours earlier. Next to it was the black clothes she was wearing yesterday folded and piled together neatly.

Glinda walked up next to her, a puzzled look on her face.

"I must have been missing out on more than I imagine," laughed Elphaba as she took the clothes and started to dress herself.

While Elphaba was dressing herself, Glinda took the opportunity to study the Miracle Elixir that rested on top of the dresser.

_This thing had indeed worked a miracle. It saved Elphie's life,_ she thought to herself._ And if Melena hadn't given it to her, she would have still been…_

She couldn't finish the thought. She didn't want to think about Melena. She was the cause of the mess in Elphaba's life in the first place as she had found out recently. That gives her more than enough reason to hate the woman rather than be grateful.

"What do you think?" Elphaba asked her when she was done dressing, twirling around. It was the same black shirt and long dress she had worn yesterday.

Glinda giggled, loving whenever Elphaba models for her. "It looks the same as it did yesterday," she told her. "Except for that tear on your shoulder there…"

Elphaba looked at her shoulder. There was a tear on her shirt's black fabric where she had been shot. Her scar showed through the gaping hole.

"I can sew it up when we get home," Glinda told her, touching the torn fabric, then the scar.

Elphaba smiled and kissed the blonde with conviction, pulling her into a hug.

"First, my sweet," she whispered into her ear, "we have to get home."


	20. Chapter 20

**Short but sweet. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 20

_Argh…_

Bolynda opened her eyes.

"She's awake!"

"Surround her!"

Suddenly, she felt hands grab at her as her arms were pulled behind her back.

_What the hell?!_

She felt a sharp pull at her skull and another pair of hands grabbed her short, black hair and pulled her up to a kneeling position. She let out a scream as pain shot up to her skull, giving her an instant headache.

She was completely surrounded by guards in strange, green uniforms. They had their rifles pointed at her. The guard who had pulled her hair stepped back abruptly, as if he was afraid of Bolynda.

"What's going on?" she dared to ask. She felt shackles click into place around her hands and she started to panic. "What's going on?!"

The guard that had shackled her grabbed her upper arms and roughly dragged her into an upright position. The other guards around her shifted uneasily as she faced them, her eyes wide open in her terror.

"Don't touch her skin," she heard a voice say. "It's probably contagious."

Bolynda looked around for the source of the voice. She narrowed her eyes at who she saw. _Of course._

Boq.

And he was still wearing the pajamas from last night.

The guard holding her suddenly pulled away from the blue-skinned girl, letting out a disgusted 'Ew!'

"Don't _let her go,_ though!" Boq told him quickly.

Too late. Bolynda saw her chance to escape and took it. She broke through the circle of guards before any of them could register what was going on. She heard gunshots behind her as she ran through the house like a mad woman, desperately searching for the exit.

_Shitshitshit!_

She heard the heavy breathing of the guards as they ran to catch up with her.

_What now, Bolynda?_ she asked herself angrily. She felt the shackles dig deep into her skin as she ran from room to room, trying to look for a window… _anything_.

The few basic spells she knew ran through her head as she ran into the last room. _Magic can do you now good now! You need your hands for that, _she realized in dismay. Like the others, there were no windows in this room.

_What's wrong with this house?_ she screamed inwardly.

Bolynda actually screamed as a bullet hit too close to her shoulder, embedding itself to a framed picture of an old woman she happened to be standing next to. The guards quickly filled into the room, pinning her to the wall.

"Can't run now, can you, blue freak?" Boq growled as he pushed his way to the front of the group.

Instead of grabbing their prisoner, the guards surrounding her placed their rifles against Bolynda's neck instead, for fear of catching her 'blue skin disease'.

Boq made his way to face her; pretty confident she couldn't run away now. Not if she wanted her head blown off, anyway. He then noticed the framed picture of the old woman next to Bolynda's head. The bullet had hit just where the woman's nose would be, making it look like she had a black hole for a nose.

"Oh, look at what you did to Mam," Boq told her and without warning, slapped Bolynda's face.

Bolynda let out a gasp as she realized Boq had just slapped her. She writhed in anger, but the rifles pinned to her neck prevented her from doing anything else but that.

Boq looked at the hand he used to slap the woman in front of him and he grimaced. He wiped it against his striped pajama pants as if it were dirty.

"I can't stand it anymore. Take her away," he growled.

Bolynda couldn't stop her captors as they forced her to walk out of the room, out of the house and into an awaiting military carriage.

So much for freedom in Oz.

***

Melena woke up to the sound of knocking.

"Elphaba? Glinda? Are either of you there?"

The pale woman panicked. She had overslept. The light of morning showed through the living room's window as she jumped out of the couch she had been sleeping in.

"Hello?"

Melena looked at the door in the kitchen, seeing a rather portly figure through the screen. She frowned as the woman at the door knocked again.

"Open up! I've got to check on Elphaba."

Melena was confused for a second. She dared to move closer to the door, curious to know who this person was and why she knew Elphaba was alive.

The woman stopped her knocking and opened the door, already having the key. She had been knocking out of pure discretion.

Melena backed away as the door opened, her heart starting to thud in her chest.

A black-clad woman stepped into the kitchen, holding a bag in her hand and the doorknob in the other. She froze when she saw Melena standing there, staring back at her.

"Who are you?" Mother Ethel asked her, her voice shaking.

Melena gulped.

She was in trouble.

***

Zafryna had heard Glinda scream.

It had woken Frynda up with a jolt, but her sister hurriedly went to her side and soothed her, having a pretty good guess as to what was going on. She had also heard the various moans and murmured words coming from the guest room, thanks to her excellent hearing.

She had tried to explain to her startled, younger sister what was happening without stumbling over herself or blushing, but she had done both things, not really used to talking about these sorts of things with anyone.

Frynda was still confused as she sat on her bed, looking at Zafryna, who was busy looking at her looking glass and avoiding the red girl's amber gaze.

"Maybe we should go check on them," Frynda offered.

"They wouldn't like that right now," Zafryna told her gently. "Just sit tight for a while."

Frynda tried another approach. "But I'm hungry."

Zafryna put down her glass by her side to glare at Frynda. "They're _fine_, Frynda."

Frynda gave her a pout and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Could they do…_that_ some other time?"

"Um…" Zafryna blushed a deep shade of yellow. "I don't think so…uh…"

Frynda let out an exasperated sigh as she got up from her bed, grabbing her reddish-orange colored robe from its place by the headboard.

Zafryna frowned. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to check on them," Frynda told her matter-of-factly, slipping the robe over her white nightdress and buttoning it halfway.

"No, Frynda," Zafryna said to her sternly.

Frynda ignored her as she walked towards the door of the room, putting her red hand on the doorknob.

Zafryna rolled her eyes. _If I can't stop her_, she thought. _I might as well go in first so she doesn't walk in on anything she shouldn't see until she's at least ten years older._

"Wait," Zafryna said and her red-skinned sister turned to her.

"You're going with me?"

"I apparently have no other choice," the yellow-skinned woman growled as she buttoned her cream-colored robe over her nightdress. "Let's go."

Together they exited their room and headed down the hall to the guest room.

"Knock first," Zafryna warned Frynda as she put a red hand on the doorknob.

"Oh," Frynda said, quickly taking her hand off the doorknob. "Right."

The red woman then knocked on the door three times.

Both of the girls listened for a response, but after a few minutes of waiting, they got none.

_They must be sleeping again,_ Zafryna thought. _Or they're just plain too exhausted to respond…_

Without warning, Frynda opened the door and looked inside.

Zafryna panicked. "Frynda, no!"

Instead of drawing back or shielding her eyes, Frynda opened the door even wider. Zafryna, confused, peered into the door and her emerald eyes opened wide in alarm as she exchanged a glance with her equally alarmed sister.

Elphaba and Glinda were gone.

***

"Shh, we have to be quiet…"

Elphaba and Glinda made their way downstairs, careful to not to make any noises. It was still barely dawn and they had doubted that anyone was awake at this time.

So what better time than now to make their getaway?

Elphaba motioned for Glinda to follow her as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Glinda nodded that she understood. The blonde followed her love as they sneaked through the palace, its halls eerily quiet and empty.

"It's gotta be here somewhere," Elphaba mumbled as she looked around the palace's extensive living room where she had last seen the Grimmerie.

"What are you looking for?" Glinda asked her.

"The Grimmerie. I need it."

Glinda nodded and started to look for the ancient, worn book.

Soon they had located it on a chair by two massive doors Elphaba guessed led to some sort of Throne Room.

"Okay," Elphaba said, grabbing the heavy book in her hands. "Now I need-"

"Here!" Glinda quickly handed her a leather satchel.

Elphaba smiled at her love, wanting to kiss her but knowing the sooner she got out of the palace, the better. She took the satchel and placed the Grimmerie in it. It fit perfectly, as if it were made just for the book. There were also pockets for other things, so she had to hurry if she were to fill them with supplies.

For one, she needed a knife for basic defense. She told Glinda this and the blonde nodded her agreement. It was better to be safe than sorry.

The blonde made her way to the kitchen while Elphaba hung back, wanting to do something before she left. She found a pen in the satchel Glinda gave her and produced an old napkin she forgot she had in her dress pocket.

Using her satchel as a makeshift desk, she quickly wrote a note to Melena, who she still thought was still in the palace with the other three sisters. She placed it on the chair where the Grimmerie had been as Glinda ran back to her with a knife in her hand.

"Here you go," Glinda huffed as she handed the knife to the green woman. "Hopefully we won't have to use it."

Elphaba nodded and carefully placed the knife in one of the pockets the satchel had that was originally meant for writing utensils.

Glinda spotted the napkin on the chair and gave her love a questioning look. Elphaba merely shrugged as she re-closed the satchel.

"Just a few parting words for my darling mother," she said and Glinda nodded.

"What else?" the blonde asked.

"Money," Elphaba said hurriedly. "We won't get anywhere without money."

Glinda dug into her skirt pocket, producing a few Ozian dollars and a couple of coins.

"I don't think that type of currency works here, love," Elphaba told her as she pocketed back the money with a huff.

"Where do you think she keeps her money, then?" the blonde asked her. "It's not like it'll be as obvious as the Grimmerie."

"Or maybe not…"

Glinda watched as Elphaba ran towards the fireplace. The green woman grabbed a tin box Glinda had not noticed before and brought it to her. Not wasting any time, Elphaba opened the lid to the box.

"Jackpot," breathed Elphaba as wads of dollars came tumbling out, littering the floor underneath them.

"Sweet Oz," Glinda whispered, staring at the tin box. "How did you know…?"

"It doesn't matter," Elphaba told her, pocketing the wads of cash in her pocket and handing some to Glinda so she could pocket some also. She had never felt more like a thief in her life. "At least we have a means to get around this place."

Glinda stared at her lover, noticing a side of her she had never seen before. _She must have been like this when she was on the run from the Wizard,_ she thought. _I've never seen her desperate like this. _

Elphaba caught her staring. "What are you standing around for? We have to hurry!"

"Alright, Elphie," Glinda said, a little uneasily. "Do we need anything else?"

Elphaba thought for a second before replying, "I'm sure we could manage to find some food along the way. How about water?"

"Got it." Glinda took out the small, stainless-steel canteen she always kept in her skirt pocket. Living in the desert land of Winkie Country had taught her to always have a source of water around.

"Alright." Elphaba nodded to her and looked around. "Damn, for once in my life I wish I had my broom. We could get out of here in no time."

Glinda grimaced, remembering the last time she had ridden the Elphaba's unpredictable broom.

"Oh well," Elphaba sighed. "I guess our two feet would have to do for now." She slung the leather satchel around her shoulder and nodded to Glinda. "I think we're set now."

Glinda gripped Elphaba's hand in hers, drawing in her green love's confidence and strength like metal to a magnet. "We'll get through this together, Elphie," she told her.

Elphaba took her other green hand and covered Glinda's. She looked into those baby blue eyes and nodded to her, a gleam coming to her brown eyes as she replied,

"Always together."

Without wasting any more time, they headed for the palace's front doors, not knowing what kind of world awaited them in the strange and unfamiliar land of Zo.


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you Sweet Lunacy and James Birdsong for all of your reviews lately. They make me so happy. **

**I'm glad you guys like my story and hopefully I'll continue all the way 'til the end. :) **

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 21

Bolynda screamed as the guard unceremoniously threw her into the prison cell and unto the floor, locking it behind her. The woman groaned as she closed her eyes, her blue cheek resting on the cold, stone floor.

"Sweet Oz."

The voice made her head snap up. A man was standing over her, his startling green eyes wide open in his surprise.

Bolynda bared her teeth in a feral-like snarl. "What are you staring at?" she spat at him.

The man shook his head. "And to think I've seen it all," he breathed. "Do you need help getting up, miss?"

"I can manage," Bolynda huffed as she shakily stood up, brushing the dirt off her black skirt and black tank top.

The man continued to stare as Bolynda fixed her messy, cropped hair. She froze as she suddenly realized something.

Why wasn't she reading this man's mind?

Usually she could read anyone's mind (with an exception from the Great Witch back in the land of Zo). Bolynda was greatly disturbed by this. She looked around, figuring this cell must be magic-proofed or something, for she couldn't even feel her usual magic in her now unshackled hands.

The blue-skinned girl turned to face the man, giving him an odd look. "Who are you?" she asked him.

The man blinked. "I could ask you the same thing."

Bolynda crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Bolynda."

The man copied her action, this time increasing the effect by narrowing his green eyes. "Razaf."

Bolynda stared at the man named Razaf for a few minutes, her eyes taking in his every physical feature. He had short, sandy brown hair and a chiseled jaw-line, giving him a tough, ragged look. But the feature that caught her attention was his eyes. They were the most brilliant shade of green.

Razaf was muscularly built and if Bolynda tilted her head to the left just a bit she could see the numerous scars lining his arms and hands, telling her that he was probably used to a hard, rugged life.

For once in her life, Bolynda felt self-conscious. What did she look like to him? Was her hair fine? Was she wearing too much or…

"So…"

His deep voice interrupted her rapid-fire thoughts.

"Bolynda, huh?"

The blue-skinned girl nodded.

Razaf looked as uncomfortable as she was. "That's an…uh, unusual name."

Bolynda chuckled. "I've never liked it. Some people call me Bo, though."

"Can I call you Bo?" Razaf then wanted to take back his words as soon as they left his mouth. How more awkward can he be?

Bolynda blinked at him.

Razaf wrung his hands together, clearly embarrassed. "Uh, that is…if you don't mind…"

"Knock yourself out," Bolynda told him. She then sighed as she looked at the cell door. "It looks like I'm going to be in here for a while anyways."

"What did you do to get stuck in here with me?" Razaf asked her, obviously intrigued by the strange, blue-skinned girl in front of him.

Bolynda shrugged. "I still don't know. What are _you_ in for?"

"Trying to kill the Emperor."

"Oh," Bolynda chuckled nervously. "Nothing big."

Razaf laughed for the first time in months.

"So…is this Emperor some sort of ruler here?"

Razaf then looked like her as if she had just dropped from outer space. "You…you don't know who the Emperor is?"

Bolynda shook her head. "I'm kinda…not from here exactly."

Razaf raised a brow in his bewilderment. "What? Then where are you from?"

"I'm from Zo."

Razaf shook his head, not believe what he was hearing. Maybe there _was_ a reason this girl was in prison, not just because she was…well, _blue_. "Excuse me?"

"Z-o," she drew out the one-syllable word as slow as she could.

"Don't you mean Oz?"

"No, Zo."

Razaf blinked, his green eyes glittering with confusion. "I've never heard of this…Zo."

"Figures," Bolynda sighed, sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall behind her. "I've never heard of Oz before my mother told me."

"Your mother?"

"Yes, the Great-" Bolynda abruptly stopped.

_Razaf wouldn't know what I'm talking about,_ she thought. _He didn't even know about Zo!_

"Okay, let's make a deal," she told the clearly confused man. "You tell me about Oz, and I'll tell you about Zo. Sounds good?" She patted the ground next to her, inviting him to sit down next to her.

Razaf scratched his head as he looked down at the blue-skinned woman, visibly conflicted. Bolynda noticed this and smiled reassuringly.

_He's so cute when he's confused_, she thought coyly.

"C'mon, I don't bite," Bolynda told him. "And don't worry; my blue skin is_ not _contagious."

Razaf still looked unsure as he sat opposite of Bolynda, despite the woman's offering to sit next to her. She suppressed a pout of disappointment as he leaned back against the wall behind him. He stared at her, his electrifying green eyes boring into her light blue ones, making the usually confident girl a little uncomfortable.

"If you don't mind me asking-"

"I was born with it," Bolynda said quickly, knowing this was coming as soon as she had realized there was another person with her in the cell. "Don't ask me why or how. I don't know."

Razaf nodded, his curiosity satisfied…for now.

"Alright, tell me about this Zo you talk about," the man said. "I'm intrigued."

"Uh-uh-uh." Bolynda shook her finger at him. "You must promise me to tell me about Oz."

"Okay." Razaf seemed a little impatient. "I'll tell you about Oz."

Bolynda crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Promise?"

Razaf rolled his eyes. It was just his luck to get stuck with a teenage girl acting like a five-year-old with _blue skin _nonetheless. But then again, luck hasn't been on his side lately. With a sigh, he nodded.

"I promise."

Bolynda gave him a grin. "Alright. I suggest you relax, Razaf. We're going be a while in here."

Razaf blinked at Bolynda's apparent cluelessness.

_Yeah,_ he thought venomously. _If you count another three years to be a while in your world, Miss Bolynda._

***

"Who are you?"

Melena barely registered the woman's repeated question.

Mother Ethel's eyes opened wide and her breathing became fast and shallow. "What have you done to the girls? What have you done to them?"

Melena shook her head as the woman stepped closer to her.

"I-I swear if you harmed them in any way-"

Melena backed away as Mother Ethel looked around for some sort of weapon. All she found was a wooden ladle on the kitchen counter. It was better than nothing.

She raised it threateningly over her head as she warily approached Melena.

"Get out! Get out of this house right now!"

Melena didn't want to harm the older woman, but she contemplated using a Sleeping Spell on her to temporarily knock her out.

_She probably thinks I'm a burglar or something by the way I'm dressed_, Melena thought, glancing at her all-black attire. _I might as well act the part rather than risk being discovered._

"Okay, lady," Melena said in her most sleazy tone of voice as she raised her hands over her head in a surrender position. "I'm just gonna get out of here before-"

Mother Ethel pointed the spoon accusingly at Melena's direction. "Where's Elphaba and Glinda?"

"Who?"

Mother Ethel blinked, realizing she had just told this burglar woman that Glinda was alive. She doubted she knew who Elphaba was, but Glinda…

"Forget I even said that!" Mother Ethel said quickly. "Where are the people who live in this house?"

"Look, lady, I have no idea who you're talking about. Just let me go and nobody gets hurt."

Mother Ethel quickly examined Melena, not seeing any form of weapon in her possession. But who knows these days…

"Okay, I'll let you go," Mother Ethel growled. "But don't you dare step into this house again or you'll regret it, you low-life!" She figured a threat would suffice for now.

Melena nodded, knowing she wasn't really looking for any trouble than she had already caused. "Thank you, m'lady-"

"Get out _NOW!_"

_Me and my stupid mouth!_ Melena thought angrily as she ran past the woman, through the open door and into the desert of Winkie Country.

***

Elphaba kept Glinda close to her side as they approached the palace's massive front doors. To both the girls' dismay, the red-bearded doorman was there.

"Shit," cursed Elphaba under her breath.

"Wait a second," Glinda whispered, peering closer to the eerily familiar man. "I think he's asleep."

Elphaba took a moment to confirm this and nodded when she did. The doorman's eyelids were closed shut and mouth slightly agape as he slept, his snores echoing through the vast hall.

They didn't waste any time tip-toeing around the doorman and opening the door.

It gave a loud creak, making both the girls freeze as they watched the doorman for any response.

Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief as the man just gave a louder snore and mumbled something incoherent. He was still asleep.

"It still scares me how much looks like the doorman back in Oz," Glinda whispered to Elphaba.

Elphaba nodded her agreement.

"Yeah. Let's go."

The green woman grabbed Glinda's arm and together they slipped out of the door and into the dawn, unaware of the faint smile that graced the doorman's lips as they left.

***

"_What?!_"

"Sire, it is true. I've seen her with my own eyes!"

Fiyero blinked in surprise. This was some wake-up call. He sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. The guard in front of him wrung his hands nervously as he waited for the Emperor to respond to his news.

"You wake me up to tell me that my militia captured a _blue _woman in Munchkinland? How is that even _possible_?"

"It is very possible, sire."

Fiyero sat there for a moment, letting this new information sink in. This was one of his most trusted soldiers and he wasn't known for lying. He stared at him, a brow raised.

"Are you sure you're not pulling my leg, corporal?" Fiyero asked him.

"There is no leg pulling going on here, sire," Vancor replied truthfully.

Fiyero then felt his throat go dry. "And she's…_blue?_"

"As blue as the sea, sire."

"I don't believe this," the Emperor mumbled, staring down at his hands.

"Sire," Corporal Vancor said. "We will have a carriage waiting at the Emerald City front gates for you when you are ready to go see her for yourself."

"See her myself?" Fiyero asked him, looking up at the guard again.

Vancor was confused. "Sire, didn't you want…?"

"Bring her to me, corporal!"

Vancor blinked at him, and then nodded.

"Very well, sire."

Without another word, the corporal left Fiyero's bedroom.

The dark-skinned man let out a sigh as soon as Vancor left, shaking his head.

"I don't believe this."

He then looked at the blue tattoos etched on his hands, then at the rows of tiny ones on his muscular legs.

"I don't_ fucking_ believe this."

***

"Where did they go?" Frynda asked Zafryna.

The yellow-skinned woman gulped. "I-I'm not sure."

Frynda silently cursed herself for letting Zafryna keep her from checking on them sooner. She backed away from the door and glared at her sister.

"They're probably downstairs," Zafryna told the obviously angry girl.

"They better be," Frynda growled as she whirled around and made her way to the end of the hall, Zafryna following close behind.

Frynda descended the stairs two steps at a time. When she reached the bottom, she took off to the direction of the palace's massive living room, with Zafryna huffing behind her. The red woman rushed over to the fireplace where she rolled up the sleeves of her robe and placed her hands in the fire, the flames brushing her fingers harmlessly.

"Nobody has traveled through here but me or mother," Frynda breathed in relief as she took her hands out of the fire. "That means they're still here somewhere."

Zafryna stared at her sister in awe. She still didn't know how her sister could read fire like an open book, but she was glad that she could.

Frynda caught her staring at her. "What are you looking at me for? We have to find them!"

Zafryna shook her head. "Yes! Of course! I'm sorry."

Frynda rolled her eyes and grabbed her sister's arm.

"_Ouch!_"

Zafryna pulled back from Frynda's grip, a burning sensation shooting up her arms like wildfire.

Frynda opened her eyes wide as she realized her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

Zafryna hissed as she rubbed her burned arm furiously, trying to get rid of the tingling. "How many times have I told you not to touch anything after you do that?!"

"I'm sorry!"

Frynda looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Zafryna bit her lip and stopped her rubbing. "It's okay," she said shakily, knowing Frynda's crying will not help them at all now. They needed to find Elphaba and Glinda. "Just don't do it again."

Frynda nodded shakily, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. She tried to ignore the scorch mark her hand had left on Zafryna's yellowish skin as the girls continued to look around for their green sister and her girlfriend.

Zafryna knew Frynda didn't mean to hurt her, but she had been reminded time and time again that not only can the red woman touch fire without getting harmed; she could also conduct it like electricity to metal, burning anything she touched within a ten-minute period. All of the sisters knew this _too_ well.

"What is this?"

Frynda's question snapped the older woman out of her reverie. "Hm?"

"C'mere, Zaf. Look at what I found."

Zafryna looked over to her sister. She was standing by the doors to the Throne Room. She then walked over to a chair Frynda was pointing at. She looked at the seat and saw a napkin with writing on it.

"Read it to me; I'm afraid of burning it," Frynda told her a bit sadly, looking at her red hands.

Zafryna nodded and picked it up. She read the first line and frowned.

"It's from Elphaba to Melena."

Frynda raised her brows. "Oh?"

"_Dearest, darlingest Momsie,_" Zafryna started to read and cast a wondering glance at Frynda, who shrugged in response.

"_Thank you for saving my life. I'm not sure how you did it, but I'm glad you did. Oh, I'm kind of in a hurry now, trying to escape from your palace. Don't go looking for us. You'll be wasting your time. I happen to be very good this hiding thing thanks to past experience. _

_P.S: You're not my mother. The only mother I knew left me fifteen years ago._

_-Elphaba" _

Zafryna stared wide-eyed at the napkin, not believing what she had just read.

"They already left," Frynda whispered, her hands trembling.

Zafryna gritted her teeth and crumbled the napkin in her hands. "We have to go after them."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Razaf laughed. "You have a Blue Brick Road instead of a Yellow Brick Road?"

"Uh-uh," Bolynda said. "I think your version of our road is pretty ridiculous, if I might add. I mean yellow? Personally I think _blue_ is a better color."

Razaf shook his head. Leave it to a blue girl to argue about color choices for brick roads.

"It wasn't like it was our choice, Bo," Razaf told her, using her nickname. "It was the Wizard's."

Suddenly, Bolynda froze, staring straight into his green eyes. "Excuse me?"

"The Yellow Brick Road wasn't our original idea."

"Oh," Bolynda laughed. "Good. For a second I thought you said the Wizard."

Razaf tilted his head to the side. "I _did. _The Yellow Brick Road was the Wizard's idea."

Bolynda frowned. "Oz has a Wizard?"

"_Had_ a Wizard. A Wonderful Wizard, in fact. He left a long time ago."

Bolynda stared at him again with that strange look in her eye. Razaf twitched uncomfortably.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked her angrily. "It's not really polite to stare, you know…"

Bolynda then shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's just that in Zo we have a Wizard too. But let's just say he's not…_wonderful_."

"It also turned out our Wizard wasn't wonderful either." Razaf looked at her. "What's going on, Bo? You have this weird look about you."

"I don't know," Bolynda admitted, shrugging. "It's just weird that you_ had_ a Wizard, while we _have_ a Wizard. I don't know, it could be just coincidence."

Razaf raised a brow and decided to let the subject drop. "So…who had the idea for your Blue Brick Road in Zo?"

Bolynda shrugged again. "How am _I_ supposed to know? I never paid attention in class."

Razaf laughed.

Just then, the door to their cell clicked open and two guards thrust their way into the cell.

Both of the occupants got to their feet as the guards neared them.

"What's going on here?" Razaf asked them.

"His Emperor has requested your presence at his residence." The lead guard spoke directly to Bolynda, ignoring Razaf altogether.

"M-Me?" stammered Bolynda.

"What does he want with her?" Razaf growled, feeling oddly protective of the blue-skinned girl.

"I am not authorized to disclose that sort of information to the likes of you," the guard said as he grabbed Bolynda's arms, forced them behind her back and shackled her hands.

Razaf couldn't stop them as they dragged her out of the cell and closed the door shut behind them.

Bolynda's cries echoed in Razaf's ear as he gripped the bars of the cell door, watching as the guards took the blue-skinned girl away from him, a certain sadness coming to his eyes as he lost the only company he had in over three years.

***

Fiyero paced as he waited for his men to bring him the blue woman from Southstairs.

"This is interesting news," Morrible purred from her seat next to Fiyero's desk. They were in his office.

The former Press Secretary had stayed in the Emperor's palace last night ever since he had taken her out of Southstairs. She had taken an extra long bath, washing away the filth she had collected during her five-year stay in that horrid prison.

"A blue woman," she said.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Fiyero growled sarcastically.

"She could be related to Elphaba, you know," Morrible told him. "Perhaps these eccentric skin colors run in her family."

Fiyero paused in his pacing to stare at the older woman. "But what about her sister, Nessarose? She didn't have any weird color thing going on."

"True," Morrible muttered, going back to her thinking. "Then I am absolutely confused as to who this could be."

"That's what worries me," Fiyero told her and started to pace again. "We _don't _know who this is. How come it took so long to discover this person? There are not many blue-colored people in Oz."

Morrible nodded, and then smiled. "Perhaps she has great talent, just like Elphaba. Maybe this…skin affliction is the mark of great magical power."

Fiyero stopped to look at Morrible again. "Like Elphaba?"

"Yes, like Elphaba. She is green, no? And she possessed power I couldn't even begin to describe."

"So what are you trying to say?" Fiyero was having a hard time trying to figure out what Morrible was implying to him.

"We could use this woman to our advantage, your Ozness, if she indeed has the sort of talent Elphaba possesses."

Fiyero narrowed his blue eyes. He didn't like Morrible, but he had to hand it to her. She was a brilliant strategist.

"We'll see," he said, finally sitting down at his desk.

Morrible's smile grew bigger. She had planned to begin her plan today by announcing that the Wicked Witch of the West was alive, but this peculiar blue woman could change her plans to her favor. She wrung her wrinkled hands together in her barely suppressed glee.

Soon the door to the office opened and a guard poked his head inside.

Fiyero looked up to the uniformed man.

"Vancor?"

"She's here, sire."

Suddenly there was a scream as a blue blur burst through the doors and flew into the room, surprising both of its occupants.

Fiyero barely had time to register what was going on as Morrible stood up from her chair, raising her arms and chanting loudly.

Then the blue blur became a blue icicle, frozen to the spot by Morrible's Freezing Spell. The guards filled the room, frustrated that their captor had wriggled free form their grasp, but then relieved when they saw that she was subdued in a most…chilling way.

"Sweet Oz!" Fiyero breathed as he got a good look at the frozen form of Bolynda, the blue woman he was just talking about a few minutes earlier.

Morrible shooed the guards away, telling them their services weren't needed anymore. Reluctantly they shuffled away, closing the door behind them. Fiyero didn't even notice they left. He was too enthralled with the sight before him.

"She really is…_blue_…" he whispered, touching the ice near Bolynda's frozen face. She wore a wild, crazed expression and her pupils darted back and forth as she tried to register what just happened to her and why was she suddenly feeling so cold.

"I am going to thaw her out in a minute or two so she doesn't get hypothermia, sire," Morrible told him. "The Freezing Spell can be lethal if left on for too long."

Fiyero nodded. _Wow,_ he thought. _I've never thought someone so blue could be so…_beautiful_…_

Bolynda, still pretty much awake in her ice cocoon, heard his voice echo in her head and she looked at his distorted face through the corners of her eyes.

_Did I just hear what I thought I heard…?_

_She looks just like my Fae_, she heard him think.

_Fae?_ she thought. _Who's Fae?_

"She'll need a blanket and a warm cup of cocoa," Morrible was saying. She then noticed Fiyero was not paying attention to him.

"I doubt she'll want body warmth," Morrible chuckled, noticing the way Fiyero stared at the frozen woman. He just nodded, not even catching the innuendo in Morrible's words.

She shook her head. "Fiyero!" she called to him loudly.

He startled, breaking out of his reverie. "W-what?"

"We will need a blanket and a warm cup of cocoa for her when I thaw her out," Morrible repeated, more slowly this time.

Fiyero gave her a curt nod and walked towards the door, taking one last look at the frozen form of the blue woman before exiting the room to get the requested supplies.

When she made sure Fiyero was gone, Morrible turned to human icicle before her.

"Well dearie," she said to her. "It looks like you already have the Emperor around your pretty little finger even before he even met you. I'm not that gullible, though, my pretty. It'll take more than just mere looks to sway me."

Without further hesitation, she placed her hands over Bolynda's frozen head and began to chant, heat radiating from the palms of her hands to the ice underneath them.

Bolynda felt the ice melt around her and soon she could move her fingers on her hands that were still shackled behind her back. After few minutes, her whole body was thawed out and she was shivering uncontrollably.

Morrible smiled in her success. She knew her Warmth Spell would thaw the girl out eventually.

Bolynda looked at the woman in front of her, her head huddled close to her chest as she tried to keep in whatever little body warmth she had.

"W-Who a-a-are y-y-you?" she stammered, not meeting the woman's scrutinizing gaze. "A-A-And w-w-w-what j-j-just h-h-happened?"

"None of that matters right now, dearie," Morrible told her. "Let's get you warm first."

Bolynda's teeth were chattering so hard she could barely talk, so she settled with trying to read the strange woman's mind. To her dismay, just like with Razaf, she couldn't read her mind.

_What's going on?_ she thought, terrified that she might be losing her mind-reading powers for good. _This has never happened to me before!_

"Sit down, dearie. You look as if you're about to faint." Morrible led her to one of the chairs next to a large, oak desk. Bolynda sat down, staring blankly at the ground as she did so.

"Fiyero needs to get here soon," Morrible growled to herself. "The poor dear looks sick."

Bolynda then felt something click and she realized her hands were still shackled behind her back. She briefly struggled with the restraints, but to no avail.

"Oh dearie, you mustn't do that," Morrible told her gently, drawing closer to her. "Here, let me take those off of you."

Bolynda could only watch as the woman placed her hands over her shackles and muttered a quick spell. When she wriggled her fingers, the iron started to crack and disintegrate; weakening enough so Bolynda could break free.

With a heavy _'argh'_, the blue-skinned woman broke through the shackles, rubbing her raw wrists where the iron restraints had dug into her skin. She then quickly wrapped her arms around herself, still shivering uncontrollably.

"T-t-thanks," she muttered.

"You're welcome, dearie. Unfortunately, I know how it feels like to be restrained."

Bolynda could only blink at her as the door to the office opened; revealing the man she had saw earlier carrying a thick, woolen blanket and a mug. She felt her heart skip a beat as he drew closer to her.

"Finally," Morrible breathed as she went to take the items off Fiyero's hands. She then turned to Bolynda and wrapped the blanket around the shivering girl's body.

Bolynda accepted the blanket greedily, feeling her body warmth starting to return as she pulled it tighter around herself. She then accepted the mug from the man, who smiled at her. She smiled back at him, feeling as if she would positively melt right there and then.

"Take a seat, sire," Morrible told Fiyero, who was still staring at Bolynda as she sipped her hot cocoa. "It seems she will listen to us."

Fiyero nodded even though her words went through one ear and out the other. He sat down at his desk, his eyes never leaving the blue-skinned girl in front of him.

Morrible settled herself on the last available seat opposite of Bolynda and studied the girl as she warmed herself in silence. The older woman then stared at Fiyero until he looked at her, a brow raised quizzically as to say 'what now?'

"I believe we should introduce ourselves to our visitor," Morrible told him.

Bolynda looked up at them, expectant.

"My name is Morrible," the former Press Secretary told her gently. "And this is…"

"I believe I'm old enough to be able to introduce myself," Fiyero huffed at her. He turned to Bolynda and extended a hand across his desk for her to shake, offering her a friendly smile. "Fiyero. Fiyero Tiggular."

Bolynda once again smiled back at him. "Bolynda."

She then shook his hand, feeling strange, electric waves shoot up her spine as she touched him. She noticed he had a strong, confident grip as they shook hands and she immediately felt at ease with him, as if she had known him her whole life, not just for five minutes.

"Bolynda," Morrible told her quickly, feeling her unusual name roll off her tongue with a slight accent. "Fiyero here is the Emperor of Oz if you hadn't figured out before. You may call him 'sire' or 'your Ozness', but-"

"Enough of the formalities, Morrible," Fiyero growled at her and released Bolynda's hand after what seemed like an eternity. "She may call me Fiyero if she wants to."

Bolynda giggled at the sight of Fiyero so quickly defending himself. "Okay, then…Fiyero."

The dark-skinned man gave her a boyish grin. He liked the sound of his name on the blue-skinned girl's lips. "And I guess I can call you Bolynda."

Bolynda laughed. She then remembered that just a few hours earlier she and Razaf had shared this same conversation, which brought her to the 'not-bring-able-to-read-his-mind' issue.

Right now she could read Fiyero's mind, but they were mostly about her, which made her blush. Other than that, there wasn't much going on in his head. Morrible though, to her frustration, stayed annoyingly silent.

"Are you warm enough, dearie?" Morrible asked her, quickly breaking her from her thoughts.

Bolynda nodded, indeed feeling much better.

"When you had made your little escape attempt earlier I had used a Freezing Spell to temporarily freeze your movements," Morrible explained to her, seeing the questions in the girl's mind just by looking at her expression.

"Oh?"

_That makes sense_, Bolynda thought.

"So, are you a witch or something?"

Morrible looked at her as if Bolynda had just told her she had a frog on her head. "Excuse me?"

"You used magic on me," the blue-skinned girl clarified for her. "So that means you must be a-"

"Sorceress," Morrible finished for her. "I am a _sorceress._" She raised a brow, wondering if her assumptions were correct. _She seems to know about magic and witches, _she thought.

Now it was Bolynda's turn to look flabbergasted. It is apparent that she has never heard of the term 'sorceress' in her life.

_That must be why I can't read her mind,_ she thought. _She's a…sorceress. Razaf must have been a 'sorceress' too. Then that means my mother is a-_

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when Morrible leaned closer to her, staring straight into her blue eyes. Bolynda shifted uncomfortably with her sudden nearness.

"Are_ you_ a witch, dearie?" Morrible asked her, feeling bold enough to ask such a direct question.

Bolynda blinked at her and nodded. In her naivety, she didn't notice the look of approval in Morrible's eyes and the realization that she had just sealed her fate in Oz by revealing her status as a witch.

"Perfect," Morrible said, almost purring in her happiness. _It seems this plan was going to work after all,_ she thought.

Fiyero sensed this exchange between the two women was out of his league. But unlike Bolynda, he noticed that Morrible was unusually happy with the news that the blue-skinned girl indeed had magical powers. It only increased Fiyero's doubt his decision to include the former Press Secretary in his plans to find Elphaba.

His thoughts were interrupted when Bolynda turned to him, the look of confusion still plastered on her face as she asked him, "Why am I here?

"Well, that's something I could answer, my dear," Morrible said quickly before Fiyero could respond. She shifted in her seat before addressing to Bolynda directly. "It seems you have stumbled upon a great opportunity. A chance to rise up in the ladder of society. A chance to serve the Emperor in the only way _you _can."

Fiyero stared at Morrible in his surprise.

_What is she saying?_ Bolynda heard him think, his deep voice echoing in her head. _This was not part of the plan…_

_Plan?_ She thought in a slight panic. _What plan?_

Morrible smiled as she stared at her, the words coming to her perfectly. She remembered speaking this way to only one person before…to a young Elphaba when she was still a student attending Shiz University.

_Damn, I wish I could read her mind,_ Bolynda thought angrily. The way Morrible was staring at her reminded her of a wolf closing in for the kill.

_I think I'm going to regret coming to Oz,_ she thought. _Great._

Morrible's smile grew bigger.

"Morrible-"

"Shush, Fiyero," she interrupted him.

His eyes flared up with anger at her bold reproach to shush him as a mother scolds her child.

Morrible was obviously oblivious to his annoyance with her as she stared at Bolynda, a smile on her face. "I just got a brilliant idea for Miss Bolynda that all of us could benefit from. Now tell us, dearie, what sort of…talents do you possess?"

Bolynda was wary of the older woman's questioning, but it wasn't as if she was in a position to argue as she answered,

"I…I can read minds."

Fiyero gasped. Morrible just stared at the girl in front of her, a brow raised.

"What am I thinking about now?" Morrible asked her, testing to see if Bolynda was telling her the truth. _A mind reader, _she thought, not knowing if Bolynda was hearing her or not. _That is a rare talent indeed…_

"For some reason I can't read your mind," Bolynda told Morrible truthfully. She then turned to Fiyero and smiled at him. "Fiyero, however…"

The Emperor shook his head, embarrassed that the girl had been reading his mind uncensored. _What does she know now?_ he thought.

"Not much, trust me," Bolynda answered his thought with a smile. "You guys still have me guessing."

Fiyero jumped. "H-h-how did you do that?"

Bolynda shrugged as Morrible let out a chuckle.

"Well, it seems I have all the information I need to proceed." The former Press Secretary couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was better than she had expected!

"Mind reading is an incredible talent to master for a girl as young as you," Morrible told the blue-skinned girl in the sweetest voice she could manage. "And both Fiyero and I appreciate talent."

Fiyero rolled his eyes, but Bolynda didn't notice. She was now staring at Morrible, her interest captured by the mention of her talent. Back home in Zo, she normally wasn't recognized for her talent for mind-reading. It was considered more a nuisance to her sisters than something to be appreciated.

_Could my mind-reading be useful for once?_ she asked herself hopefully. _Could somebody actually recognize me for who I am rather than just the blue girl who could read your mind?_

"How would you like, Miss Bolynda," Morrible asked her, "to be the Emperor's next Magic Grand Vizier?"

* * *

**Ooh, cliffie~**

**Don't you just _love _'em? :)**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Elphaba and Glinda had been walking for hours now.

It's when Elphaba started limping that Glinda decided they should stop and rest. They were still in the forest that had surrounded the red palace, hiding it from plain sight. Elphaba had failed to notice this particular expanse of vegetation when Melena had shown them the land for the first time yesterday on the balcony. It seemed to go on forever and ever.

"I'm fine," the green woman grunted as her lover insisted that they should stop. "We have to keep moving. This forest's gotta end sometime."

Glinda frowned.

Elphaba was not used to this type of walking; always having a broom to fly on had made her traveling a lot easier. Her legs were starting to bother her where Melena had scratched her with her nails. She gritted her teeth as the pain started to intensify with every step she took.

"Please, Elphie," Glinda pleaded with her. "Let's rest."

"No," Elphaba told her firmly. "We can't risk slowing down. They could be right behind us for all we know."

Glinda looked over her shoulder at the mass of trees that surrounded them. "I doubt it, Elphie. We've been here for hours and all I've seen are squirrels and the occasional deer. We're alone."

Elphaba furrowed her brows and ignored the blonde. After a few more minutes of silent trekking, she stopped, huffing from the intense pain in her legs.

"Finally," Glinda breathed, coming up to stand right next to her. "Sit, Elphie, you look terrible." She gestured to a nearby rock, pulling her arm in order to get her to follow.

"I've already told you," the green woman spat at the blonde. "I'm _fine!_"

Glinda flinched at her lover's harsh tone.

Elphaba realized her mistake and gritted her teeth. _Glinda doesn't deserve this shit from me,_ she thought. _If anything,_ she told herself, I _should be the one taking shit from _her_. At least I_ deserve_ it._

The green woman sighed. "I'm sorry, Glinda. I…I'm just a little more than annoyed right now."

"I know, my love," Glinda whispered to her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Let's just stop here for a few minutes and then continue on our way, okay?"

Elphaba closed her eyes and returned the hug, admiring the way her love could easily forgive and forget. _That's just one more thing that makes us different_, she thought.

"Okay," the green witch told Glinda as the blonde released her. "Let's rest."

Glinda smiled at her and led her to the rather large rock, where she gingerly sat down and stretched her sore legs out in front of her. She scooted to the side so Glinda could sit beside her.

Elphaba shrugged off the satchel's leather strap from its place on her shoulder and placed the bag on her lap, sighing heavily.

Glinda took one of her green hands into both her own and her green love looked up at her. Her usually calm, determined brown eyes were now full of uncertainty and regret.

"It's going to be okay, Elphie," she told her, trying to be reassuring for her struggling love. "We're going to get out of here."

Elphaba shook her head. _Ever the optimist, aren't you, my love?_ she thought, chuckling to herself.

Glinda took her chuckle as a sign that Elphaba was regaining hope again, but it was soon floundered by her next words.

"I wish I could say the same thing," the green woman told her, sighing again. "I'm afraid, my dear, that we're lost."

"Lost?"

"Yes, as in 'I have no fucking clue as to where we are right now'."

Glinda studied Elphaba's frustrated expression for a second. She then reached out a hand and cupped her love's chin, forcing her to look straight into her eyes before replying,

"Elphie, I don't expect you to know where we are. Remember this is _not _Oz. We are at a very strange place that neither you nor I even_ knew_ about before coming here."

"I know _that_," Elphaba said, her voice low. "But it's just I'm so used to knowing my way around. Now I'm here and I can't even navigate out of a forest without getting confused. I've never felt so…_inept _before."

Glinda felt her heart tear itself apart when she heard her love's defeated voice. She wrapped her arms around the green woman's shoulders and squeezed tightly.

Elphaba closed her eyes as the blonde held her. She knew Glinda was trying to cheer her up, but it didn't help the fact that they had no idea where they were. She looked around the forest around them, then at the treetops above them. She saw the faint streams of sunlight that the canopy allowed to leak through, guessing it must be about noon by now.

"I think I'm rested enough now," Elphaba told Glinda after a few minutes of silence.

"Are you sure?" the blonde asked her.

Elphaba nodded. "More than sure." She then slung the satchel back on her shoulder and attempted to stand up, only to be brought back down on the rock with a cry of pain.

"Elphie!" Glinda gasped.

"My legs are killing me," Elphaba hissed before she could stop herself.

"Well, that explains the limping," Glinda murmured to her. "I won't even try to argue as to why you didn't tell me about this earlier because I know I'm just wasting my breath."

Elphaba smiled at her. "Thanks, my sweet. You know me so well."

Glinda rolled her eyes as she got up from the rock and lowered herself by Elphaba's legs. The green woman let out a small whine as the blonde gently lifted up her long, black skirt.

"_Sweet Oz!_"

At the sound of Glinda's cry, Elphaba forced herself to look down at her legs and immediately looked away, suddenly repulsed by what she had seen. "It's nothing, Glinda."

"I-It's _nothing_?! Elphaba, look at your legs!" Glinda slowly examined the numerous, gruesome purple splotches on her love's legs, trying not to yell or scream in her frustration.

_Why did I notice this sooner?!_ she asked herself angrily. _If I had known this was happening to her I wouldn't have agreed to leave the palace so soon!_

"I guess that bitch's nails had some poison in them or something-"

"_Nails?!_"

Elphaba blinked at Glinda's horrified expression. "She…scratched me when we were fighting."

"Oh Oz," Glinda breathed, "Elphie, we have to go back."

The green woman shook her head vigorously. "No, I am _not_ going back to that place."

Glinda looked up at her, her blue eyes blazing. "Elphaba, we have to go back. Your legs need medical attention."

"No, they don't," Elphaba snarled. "After we've worked so hard to escape-"

"Elphaba, you said so yourself that that was the easiest escape you have ever done. There were virtually no guards in that palace. How hard will it be to escape again?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes at Glinda's question. She then bent down to come face to face with the blonde.

"Glinda, listen to me. Let's say they've already found out we're gone. Do you think it will be in our best interest to suddenly reappear, back to where they would make sure we won't leave again?"

"It would be in_ your_ best interest, Elphaba," Glinda growled. "Your legs are probably poisoned, yet you still refuse to admit it?"

"I admit it, okay?" Elphaba hissed at her. "I admit that they are poisoned! Are you happy now?"

"No. Not at all."

"Well, then, suck it up and deal with it. I'm moving on."

"But…_Elphaba!_"

Too late. The green woman had already limped away from her, leaving her alone.

Glinda then looked down at her hands, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"Oh Elphie," she whispered to herself. "When are you going to learn to swallow your pride and take care of yourself?"

The blonde then followed after her love, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.

***

Zafryna stared at the flickering fire of the fireplace, her emerald gaze hard as steel. She couldn't believe that Elphaba and Glinda were gone.

Frynda was pacing back and forth furiously, her long, auburn hair flying after her. She was staring at the floor while she paced, mumbling quietly to herself as she tried to sort out what to do. She knew she and Zafryna had to go find them, but she didn't know where to start. And besides, if Melena comes back and finds that they all had left the palace alone…

She shivered at the thought.

Zafryna then switched her gaze to her pacing sister.

_Pacing must be a trait that is common between us sisters,_ she thought_. Bolynda does it, I do it. I'm sure Elphaba had paced a few times while was here, thinking of how she were going to escape… _

She put her head in her hands at the thought. _When Melena comes back, she'll notice they're gone…_

…_and I'll be in some deep, deep shit._

***

Melena stumbled through Winkie Country, which was mostly composed of desert wasteland. She held her hand up to her eyes to shield them from the harsh sun. She was panting heavily; sweat starting to dampen her black clothes and her throat was screaming for water.

Her pale skin started to burn. She wasn't used to this sort of intense heat. Back in Zo, she would have been indoors all day, leaving only for legal and diplomatic errands her status as ruler required her to. She clutched Elphaba's journal to her chest. She had managed to sneak it away before Mother Ethel could notice she was taking it.

She knew she was invading Elphaba's hard-earned privacy by doing so, but that last journal entry she read sparked her interest. She just couldn't resist the temptation of finding out more about her daughter's life.

The intense desert heat broke into her thoughts, making her return to the real world again.

She wiped her white hair away from her sweaty face, trying to see if there was any civilization around. All she saw was dirt, sand, and the occasional cacti. She sighed heavily, bending down to grab her knees in her overwhelming exhaustion. The journal she was holding dropped to the floor next to her, sending up a small could of dust into the air.

_I've got to find some shade soon, _she thought, _or only the Named God will know what would happen to me in this heat._

She then glanced at her hands, which were resting on her knees. They were starting to turn pink from sunburn. Suddenly, she started to tear at the lower rim of her dress, ripping the black fabric away from the hem. Then she wrapped the ripped black fabric around her face, leaving only a small hole for her eyes. She immediately felt relief that the sun wasn't burning her delicate facial skin any more.

_With this makeshift mask, nobody will know who I am, _she thought. _Not that they will have known in the first place._ _I'm not Melena Thropp. She died. I'm someone else here._

She then picked up Elphaba's journal from the floor and walked around for a few more minutes. She then noticed a tingling feeling on her arms and she looked at them, her eyes opening wide in surprise.

_What is this?!_

Her arms were glistening, but not with sweat. A white substance coated her pale, sunburned arms to the point of dripping unto the earth-worn ground. She then realized she was in more danger than she had originally thought. Not only was she at risk of getting seriously overheated and sunburned, she was also…_melting_.

_This must be some side-effect of the transformation I have never found out about!_ she thought frantically. _I'm melting as if I'm made out of wax!_

She was going to die if she didn't find something within half an hour or so. She could already feel the droplets of the white substance roll down her back and neck.

_That's my skin,_ she thought, feeling thoroughly disgusted. _I need to find some shade, and fast!_

No sooner than she had thought that, she saw a blurry, mottled shape on the horizon.

_What is that?_ she asked herself, bringing her hand up to her eyes in order for her to see clearer. _Could this be a mirage? _

It wasn't a mirage. As it neared her line of vision, she realized it was some sort of carriage.

_A carriage? In the middle of Winkie Country?_ she thought incredulously. _It _must _be a mirage._

She looked down once again at her burning skin, grimacing with pain.

Without another second to waste, she took off for the strange carriage, which had now stopped in its tracks for some reason she couldn't place.

_Did they see me?_ she asked herself.

She didn't care whether or not it was just a mirage because that carriage was the only thing standing between her life…

…and death.

***

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"…_now_ are we there yet?"

"_No!_"

Shell Thropp crossed his arms in front of him in his frustration. They had been traveling for hours now since they had stopped in the Emerald City to talk with the Emperor which, as Shell had predicted, was just a total waste of time. They had stayed at an inn there during the night and as soon as dawn broke the next day, they quickly left the Emerald City to Munchkinland via Yellow Brick Road. They had been traveling through the morning and it now was mid-afternoon.

"I don't know what is taking this carriage so long," the man who had spoken to Shell muttered to himself. He was the Minister and he was responsible for the safe delivery of the Heir Apparent, or Shell, to Colwen Grounds in Munchkinland.

"I didn't know the Yellow Brick Road was _this_ long," Shell told him, furrowing his brows.

"The Yellow Brick Road _isn't _this long, your Eminence," the Minister said. "I wish this carriage had windows. It would help me to know where we are."

Shell looked around him. He was surrounded by the four carriage walls and like the Minister had said, no windows. He fidgeted uncomfortably in his plush seat. He had never liked enclosed spaces ever since he was a little boy; it made him feel claustrophobic. Swallowing hard, he realized has been in the carriage long enough to feel the effects of his claustrophobia.

"I need to step out for some fresh air," he told the Minister. "I'm starting to feel a little claustrophobic."

The man looked at him and nodded, knowing that the boy was known for his bouts of claustrophobia. He had learned throughout the years he had known the young man that his claustrophobia was something that needs to be avoided at all costs.

"Alright, your Eminence," he told the sixteen-year-old. "Only for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I'm going to talk to the driver to see what's taking so damn long."

As the Minister was raising his hand to knock at the driver's mini-window in front of him, the carriage came to an abrupt stop, startling its two occupants. The small window opened and a rather young looking man appeared before them. Judging by his twisted expression, the lad looked quite confused.

"Sirs, it seems we have found something…er, some_one_."


	24. Chapter 24

**I suppose everyone is silently enjoying this fic, no? **

**Anyways, here's chapter 24. There's still a long way to go. I've already written 42 chapters and yes, it is more than 100,000 words long. xP**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 24

Glinda panicked.

_Where is she?!_

She had lost sight of Elphaba a few minutes earlier. The black-clad woman had blended into the trees' shadows almost as if she were made of shadows herself. Glinda had tried calling after her, but it had seemed she was still angry with the blonde for their brief tiff earlier.

Glinda wrung her hands together nervously, coming to a stop. She looked around at her surroundings, suddenly feeling very alone…

…and very lost.

"Elphie?" she called out again, only hearing her own shaky voice echo back at her. "Elphaba, this is not funny."

No answer.

She felt her heart thud against her chest as she realized Elphaba had really left her.

She decided that staying put was the best option, so she sat down on the soft, forest floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to keep from shivering in her fear.

She then rested her chin against her knees and closed her eyes. _Elphie would soon realize she left me behind and she would come and get me…_

Glinda then gulped as she realized Elphaba might be angrier with her than she had originally thought.

…_I hope. _

***

Elphaba stormed ahead, silently fuming. She didn't bother to look back to see if Glinda was following her or not. It didn't matter to her now.

_I'm fine,_ she thought angrily. _Why can't Glinda see that we _can't_ go back? Why can't she see that I don't want or need medical attention? What is she…blind or something?_

She shook her head at her wicked sense of humor. _Oh, I'm so messed up. How can I say I love her when I'm treating her like this? I'm such a hypocrite._

She continued to limp for a few minutes, rapidly growing weary and the pain in her legs ever-increasing with every step she took. She gritted her teeth as the pain became too much to bear.

_Maybe Glinda was right_, she told herself, wiping beads of sweat from her brow before they could burn her skin. _Maybe I _do_ need to see a doctor about this._

She stopped walking, heaving a great sigh. It took her all of her remaining strength to keep from collapsing unto the ground in her agony.

_She's awfully quiet back there,_ she thought. _Could she be _that _angry with me?_

She didn't want to turn around. She didn't want to face her lover, not when she knew she had been wrong all along. However, she knew she couldn't ignore her forever.

"Glinda?"

Elphaba turned around, but saw no one there.

"Glinda?!" she asked, her voice growing high in her panic. She didn't want to lose her now. Not when she didn't even know where she was.

"_Glinda!_"

Limping heavily, she tried to retrace her steps, but to no avail. She couldn't find the blonde anywhere. Her heart sank with dread as she thought of all the things that could have happened to her love.

"Oh sweet Oz," she muttered to herself. "Oh, Glinda, where are you, baby? I need to find you."

The forest seemed to close in on her as she continued to look for her love, shouting her name from the top of her lungs.

_This all my fault, _she thought angrily. _This is all my _damn _fault. Why did I have to be so fucking stupid and leave her alone like that? Didn't I promise her earlier today that I wouldn't leave her?_

She wanted to kill herself, but she knew that option wasn't available to her anymore.

_I'm such a_ fucking_ hypocrite. I lost her…again._

Her eyes then glowed fiercely with determination, her fists clenching and unclenching. She looked around at the vegetation around her as if she was daring them to challenge her.

_I will keep looking for her in this Ozforsaken forest,_ she thought, _even if it's the last thing I do._

That's when she heard a scream. _Oh no…_

"_GLINDA!_"

***

"Magic Grand…what?"

"Vizier, dear. Magic Grand Vizier."

Bolynda blinked in confusion.

Fiyero looked at Morrible, a certain gleam in his dark blue eyes. He kept his thoughts in check, not wanting to reveal anything that might tell Bolynda exactly what they were planning to do with her.

But that was the problem. He _didn't_ know what they were planning to do with her. It was all in Morrible's wrinkly hands now. Who knows what she has up her sleeve this time. This didn't worry Fiyero too much, however.

_As long as she knows what I really want,_ he thought. He then cast an uneasy glance at Bolynda, not knowing if she had heard him or not. It seemed she didn't. She seemed to still be bewildered by Morrible's question.

"What exactly does a Magic Grand Vizier do?" Bolynda asked the older woman.

"Many things," Morrible answered her matter-of-factly. "You see, dearie, you will be standing side-by-side with the Emperor while the citizens of Oz all around you cheer and scream for both of you."

Bolynda smiled, liking what Morrible was telling her. If she accepted this proposition, she didn't have to work for her popularity here in this new land. Morrible was handing it to her on a silver platter…and for once she didn't have to worry about the color of her skin. Morrible was making it seem like it made no difference.

Morrible sensed that she was convincing Bolynda, so she continued,

"There would be a celebration throughout Oz that's all to do with you, dearie. Wouldn't that be _wonderful_?"

"Very," Bolynda breathed, already imagining herself standing next to Fiyero while the crowds cheered underneath them. Most of all, she would be standing next to Fiyero, the cutest guy she has seen to date. She looked at him, her eyes glowing with anticipation.

Fiyero noticed the blue girl staring at him and he gave her his most convincing smile, pretending to know what Morrible was talking about.

Morrible then glanced at him as if she was saying 'say something to her, you twit'.

"Um," Fiyero started. "Uh, what Morrible said."

The older woman narrowed her eyes.

"Um, of course there will be massive parties, the whole shebang." Fiyero said quickly, taking notice of the venom darting out of Morrible's eyes as she glared at him. "And you'll help me with…magical stuff as the…er, _my_ Magic Grand Vizier."

Bolynda blinked a couple of times. _Magical stuff? _

Morrible's heart skipped a beat when she saw Bolynda's hesitation. "Not _just_ magic, dearie," she told the blue girl quickly. "You'll have your fat say in every aspect here in Oz. Just imagine what sort of changes you could inspire! What differences you could make! What life-long achievements you could-"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Bolynda stopped her before she could ramble. "Yes."

Both Morrible and Fiyero blinked in surprise.

"Y-Yes?" stammered Morrible, staring at the blue girl with her mouth agape.

Fiyero just stared at her, not believing what he was hearing. How could she agree so quickly? Was it something he said…?

"Yes," Bolynda repeated. She turned to look at Fiyero, knowing_ he_ was real reason why she would become this Magic Grand Vizier. She could care less about Oz. Fiyero was going to be hers and this new status might just be the kind of boost she needed.

"A-are you sure?" Morrible hated to ask, but she had to make sure that the blue girl wasn't just kidding around. Could there be any possible way that she had convinced her_ this_ easily?

_Why didn't I meet her before?_ she asked herself. _If I had, I wouldn't have wasted my time on Elphaba!_

"Uh-huh. I'm sure." Bolynda nodded, still looking at Fiyero. She leaned closer to him and smiled the biggest smile she had ever given anyone. "You had me at _'parties'_."

Fiyero smiled.

_So it _was _something I said!_ he thought happily, momentarily forgetting Bolynda could read his mind.

Bolynda smiled back as she indeed read his mind. _Oh, it was more than just something you said, _she thought flirtatiously, wanting so bad to say it out loud but knowing that she couldn't just yet.

"Well, that's settled then." Morrible grinned at both of them, clapping her hands. "We must let all of Oz know that Miss Bolynda is our new Magic Grand Vizier!"

Bolynda's smile wavered a bit. "R-right now?"

Fiyero looked at the older woman, asking her the same question just by his expression.

Morrible nodded. "Well, I was originally going to tell them something a little bit different," she said, casting Fiyero a knowing glance. "But it seems my plans have changed."

Bolynda didn't stop her as she ushered her to her feet.

"We must not waste any more time, dearie," Morrible told her hurriedly. "They will be gathering outside the balcony any minute now. Let's get you out of this hideocious wardrobe and get you into something a little more...Magic Grand Vizier-y."

Fiyero could only watch as Morrible led Bolynda away, shaking his head.

_I'm doing this all for you, Fae, _he thought when he assumed Bolynda was out of hearing range. _I'm doing this all for you. _

***

Zafryna jumped when Frynda abruptly stopped pacing.

"I have an idea," the red girl told her.

"What is it?" asked Zafryna, raising a brow.

Frynda took a deep breath. "One of us has to go look for them and one of us has to stay here, that way when the Great Witch—I mean Melena—gets here, the palace won't be empty."

Zafryna blinked at her. "What are you implying, little sister…?"

"I want to go find them," Frynda pleaded with her quickly. "Please."

Zafryna shook her head. "No, Frynda. I won't risk losing you too."

"But you're the oldest, Zaf. You know more about this place than I do."

"That doesn't mean I could let you walk straight into danger and therefore risk your life! No, Frynda. If someone's going to find them, it's me."

Frynda gritted her teeth. She didn't want to argue with her sister at a time like this, but she knew it was bound to happen some way or another.

"You're only sixteen years old, Frynda," Zafryna said. "You cannot honestly expect me to believe that you will be more successful than a _twenty-three _year old, like me."

"Does that matter?" Frynda asked her, raising her voice.

"As a matter of fact, it _does_!" Zafryna yelled, her voice matching her sister's. "Seven years makes a hell of a lot of difference, Frynda!"

"Well I don't care about my age!" Frynda bristled angrily. "I'm good enough with magic, you've seen me! You've even said I'm almost as good as you!"

"_Almost_ being the key word here," Zafryna told her firmly. "Frynda, don't make me argue with you—"

Frynda laughed, surprising Zafryna. "Well then, I won't. I'm going upstairs to get my cloak."

"No!" Zafryna reached over and grabbed her arm before she could make a move. "You are not going _anywhere_."

Frynda looked her dead in the eye as she replied,

"Just watch me."

With that, she wrenched free of Zafryna's grasp and ran upstairs.

***

Shell Thropp looked out of the carriage door the Minister had opened for him, seeing a figure lope its way towards them.

"Ignore him, your Eminence," the Minister told the boy. "He's probably a thug looking for some money."

Shell jumped out of the carriage and into the earth-worn ground underneath him. As soon as was outside, he took a deep breath, feeling much better already. The once overwhelming feelings of claustrophobia melted away, replaced by childish curiosity at the stranger that was nearing their carriage at an alarming pace.

"We don't need this kind of problem right now," the Minister grumbled under his breath as the figure drew ever closer.

Shell couldn't help but stare at the person. He—or she—was totally clad in black with some sort of mask on their face.

The Minister hurriedly ushered Shell back into the carriage, looking over his shoulder at the stranger moving quickly towards them.

"Stay here, your Eminence," the Minister told the younger boy quickly. "I'm going to have a little chat with the driver."

Without another word, he shut the door, leaving Shell alone in the carriage. He crossed his arms over his chest, hating the fact that he was left out…again.

"How can you get lost?" he heard the Minister shout at the driver. "You just had to _follow the_ _Yellow Brick Road!_ Is that so _hard_ to manage? You drove us to Winkie Country, the freakin' opposite direction!"

Shell chuckled. He had never heard the Minister shout like that ever since he had 'accidentally' set his ceremonial robe on fire.

The young lad barely heard the driver's stuttered response as someone suddenly banged at his door furiously. He jumped, startled by the abrupt noise.

"Let me in!" he heard a female voice cry from outside of the door. "Oh please, for the love of the Named God, _please let me in!_"

***

Melena banged on the door one more time, her throat raspy from her shouts to let her into the carriage. Her breathing became labored as she realized that whoever owned this carriage might think she was some sort of crazed woman.

"Step away from the door."

She froze as she felt a cold touch to the back of her neck.

"I said _step away from the door_."

Raising her hands in a surrender position, Melena took a step back.

The Minister's hands shook, the gun he was holding shaking with him. He pressed the barrel against the woman's neck, his finger prepared to pull the trigger. He had been given this gun just in case he had to protect the young Heir Apparent from any danger. He would have never dreamed that he would have to use it.

He noticed the woman had a sort of book in her hand and he quickly took it from her.

Melena gave a shout as she noticed the man had taken Elphaba's journal. She gulped, feeling drops of her melted skin run down her back and face.

_Oh no_, she thought. _I'm going to die. If he doesn't shoot me now, I'm going to die anyways._

The Minister held the gun to her neck as he looked at the journal. He started to read the first page as the driver walked warily up to them, wary of the strange woman and the gun that was being pointed at her.

"_Oh sweet Oz_," the Minister breathed.

Melena closed her eyes, realizing that the man must have seen that the journal had belonged to Elphaba. If she had been correct, the flash of clothing she had seen while the man was taking the book from her had been Munchkinland made. This must be a Munchkinlander.

And if he was a Munchkinlander…

_He must know who Elphaba really is_, Melena thought grimly. _Now look what I have done._ _Not only have I succeeded in ruining my life, I had also ruined Elphaba's. Way to go, Melena._

"I…I…"

The Minister was speechless. The journal he had taken from the woman belonged to none other than Elphaba Thropp, the Thropp Third Descending from Nest Hardings.

…_the Wicked Witch of the West_, he thought with a sinking feeling in his stomach. _She's alive?_

He then looked at the strange woman in front of him, a brow raised. He briefly wondered if this was the Witch herself, but he noticed she had stark, pale white hair. If the Minister knew Elphaba like he had known her a few years ago, he could have sworn she had black hair. This was not Elphaba. This was someone else.

Melena felt the heat burn fiercely on her skin and she gritted her teeth in pain.

_Why doesn't he kill me already?_ she thought angrily. _He would be doing me great favor by doing so. I'd rather die by a bullet than this fucking heat._

The Minister was suddenly afraid of this woman and he lowered his gun just a fraction.

"Go," he said. "You…you must know Elphaba. I don't give a damn about who _you_ are, but tell her this. Tell her that if she had thought Oz hated her before she supposed 'died', she's in for a surprise now."

Melena's eyes opened wide in her surprise. _He's not going to run around and scream in panic? What does he mean…?_

"Go," the man growled at her, pushing the barrel back against her neck, causing her to give a gasp. "Go before I change my mind."

Melena dared to turn around, facing the man. He looked like a man in his early sixties, late fifties. He indeed had the traditional Munchkinland robe around him with the insignia of 'M' on his collar.

_Hold on,_ she thought. _Only people who work for the Munchkinland government have that sort of insignia on their robe…_

"Wait! Wait, don't let her go just yet!"

The Minister's eyes opened wide and he shook his head vigorously at whoever had spoken. Melena felt someone touch her shoulder and she turned around. Her mouth went dry at the sight before her.

It was Shell. Her one child she thought she would never see again.

_My son_, Melena thought in disbelief. _That's Shell! My son!_ _Oh how he's grown so much!_

"Did you just say Elphaba was alive?" Shell asked the Minister, never taking his eyes off the masked woman in front of him.

"Here, your Eminence," the Minister told him, handing him the journal. "Read it for yourself."

Shell accepted the journal and looked curiously at it.

_Your Eminence?_ Melena thought. _Shell…Shell can't be the Governor of Munchkinland _already_…he's sixteen!_

Shell then looked at Melena, smiling. "Elphaba is alive. My sister is _alive_. I can't believe it!"

The Minister stared at Shell, his mouth agape.

"And you're…_happy_?"

"Absolutely!"

Melena couldn't help but smile, glad that they couldn't see it underneath her makeshift mask. _At least _someone _still cares for her in Oz, _she thought, feeling immense pride for her son.

"But, your Eminence, she's the Wicked Witch-"

"No, I will not tolerate that talk of nonsense," Shell growled, suddenly sounding as if he was ten years older than what he really was. "She was never wicked. I had not and never _will_ believe any of that crap."

Melena wanted to hug Shell and tell him that his mother was still alive too, but she figured that would be too much for the boy to bear right now.

"You have to come with me," Shell told her abruptly, turning to face Melena. "You must know where my sister is!"

"Uh…" Melena was afraid of this question.

"Come on in! You look as if you're melting."

_You don't know how right you are, my son,_ Melena thought, so glad that her son had turned out to be a gentleman.

The Minister couldn't stop Shell as he held a hand out to Melena to help her up into the carriage. The woman quickly wiped her hands against her ripped black dress and took Shell's hand, stepping into the carriage.

_He's offering help to a complete stranger!_ he thought incredulously. _And one who knows the Wicked Witch of the West nonetheless!_

He shook his head, not wanting to go into the carriage after the woman. He didn't want to be a part of this. Not anymore. He then turned towards the obviously confused driver.

"I'm sitting up here with you now," he huffed, walking towards the front of the carriage where the horses were nickering impatiently. The driver followed him, not sure if he should argue or not.

"And this time," the Mister said to him as he climbed up to where the driver usually sits, making the driver himself go around and take the seat next to him. "_I'm_ taking the reins."


	25. Chapter 25

**-le gasp-**

**I have lots of silent readers out there that aren't so silent anymore! :D **

**I've tried to reply to all of your reviews, but the reply button doesn't like me. :(**

**I'm so glad you guys enjoy this story, though. I kind of like it myself. :]**

**To all of you guys who are getting confused with the names/color thing between the three sisters, I originally came up with a plan to avoid that. For example:**

**First, there's Bolynda, who's...blue. Hence the name. B for Blue Bolynda. :P**

**Frynda is red-skinned, and fire's red. So I just associate Frynda with fire. F for Feiry Frynda. xP**

**And Zafryna, who's last, but not least. Hers is a little trickier, but I associated her name with lightning, since she's yellow-skinned. You know in those cartoons where there's a sound effect of 'ZAP' whenever there's a strong surge of electricity or energy? That's what I was thinking about when I named her. Z for Zappy Zafryna. 8P**

**And you all know Elphie. Green as sin. :P**

**Okay, I'm rambling on here. I hoped that little tidbit helped somewhat, but if you have any questions whatsoever, don't hesitate to PM me. **

**Now unto the next chapter. (This is definitely one of my favorites, because one of my awesome characters is introduced here.) :D**

**Enjoy~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 25

"Glinda!"

Elphaba looked around, desperately trying to find her blonde love. The scream she had heard had sent her to into a frantic frenzy, running through the forest despite her ailing legs.

"Oh Oz, what do I do now?" Elphaba asked herself, clutching at her hair in her panic.

"First of all, could you stop panicking? It's quite unnerving."

She whirled around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. She gasped at the sight of a Horse standing in front of her, his black coat shining in the faint sunlight.

"What? Don't tell me you haven't seen a Horse before."

Elphaba was speechless. "N-no…it's…it's just…"

"Well then do you need help or not?" the Horse snorted. "I have other things to do than to be gaped at by some human…."

Then the Horse got a good look at Elphaba, his big brown eyes widening just a fraction.

"…who happens to be green. How in the world…?"

Elphaba ignored the Horse's comment about her skin and walked closer to him. "Yes, I _do_ need your help. I need you to give me a ride."

"A ride?" the Horse nickered, tossing his head from side to side. "Now why would_ I_ give _you _a—"

Before he finished his question, Elphaba had thrown herself unto his back, causing him to rear back in surprise. The green woman hung unto his long mane for her dear life, managing to keep a grip as the Horse tried to get rid of this sudden weight on his back.

"You asked for it, Horse," Elphaba hissed into his ear, grunting as he kicked backwards, breaking a nearby tree limb and sending a flurry of leaves raining down on them. "You asked me if I needed help and I do!"

"I meant something else entirely!" the Horse gasped and stopped bucking.

"Well too bad," Elphaba told him and adjusted herself on the Horse's back, not used to riding bareback…and in a dress. She conformed to pulling her dress high and swinging her legs around to both sides of the Horse as if she had pants to begin with. The Animal's fur felt weird rubbing against her bare inner thighs, but she had to deal with it.

_There's no reason to be girly and proper,_ she thought. _Glinda needs me more than propriety._

"Now if you are quite finished," the Horse mumbled, clearly annoyed.

"I'm finished," replied Elphaba tartly.

"Now tell me this. Where we are going?"

Elphaba wanted to hit herself. Here she was mounting some Horse she had just met and she didn't even know where she was going. Not that she had known in the first place…

"I'm not sure exactly. I'm looking for a blonde and I think she might be in trouble—"

"Oh, that little yellow-haired human? I saw her not too long ago. She looked distressed, the poor thing."

Elphaba felt her heart sink. "Glinda! Where was she?"

"Not too far from here. Be glad I found you just in time. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have made it very far."

"Don't worry, I'm glad," Elphaba said truthfully, gripping unto his mane. "Let's go!"

The Horse nodded and took off galloping through the forest.

Elphaba pressed her legs against the black Horse's flanks as he ran through the forest, her arms wrapped around the Animal's neck. He dodged through the trees as if he knew the forest by heart, never breaking his stride.

_I'm coming for you, my sweet,_ the green woman thought. _Oh Oz, I hope she isn't hurt. If she is, I will never, ever, forgive myself--_

"The name's Adagio by the way," the Horse suddenly told Elphaba, breaking her out of thoughts.

"Elphaba," the green woman introduced herself.

Adagio was silent for a few moments as he took this in; the only sound was the constant clopping of his hooves.

"You're not from here, aren't you?" he asked the human on his back.

"How can you tell?" Elphaba chuckled, shaking her head.

"There are not many green people in the forest, Elphaba. That's if you don't count the elves."

"Elves?"

"Uh-hm. They are little, nasty green things about as tall as my foreleg. At first I thought you were one of them, but you are too tall to be an elf, so I assumed human."

"Good guess," Elphaba told him, liking this small talk. It helped her keep her mind off of Glinda and the worst possible scenarios she might be in.

"You certainly don't want to mess with the elves here," Adagio said, snorting. "Trust me. I only know that_ too_ well. Again, be glad I found you first before they found _you_."

"Again, I'm still glad. Are these elves you speak of common here?" asked Elphaba.

"Are they _ever!_ They think they own this forest!" Adagio then slowed to a trot, looking around warily. He flicked his ears around, as if he was trying to hear some faraway sound.

"What's going on?" Elphaba asked him, noticing his sudden hesitation. "Is Glinda here?"

"Shh," the Horse shushed her and came to a complete stop. "I think your friend might have not had the same luck as you had, Elphaba. It seems the elves had found her."

Elphaba's heart started to race. If what Adagio had told her about these forest elves was true, then this could mean nothing good. "We have to go to her!" she cried, but Adagio didn't move.

"I think you're on your own from here, kiddo," Adagio told her, his ears flicking back and forth nervously.

"What?" Elphaba cried. "You're…_leaving _me here?"

"I have no choice. Let's just say the elves and I don't get along too well."

Elphaba nodded, understanding. It was up to her now. She needed to help Glinda alone. She slipped off the Horse's back, trying not to cry out in pain as her feet crashed to the ground. She momentarily lost her balance and leaned against Adagio's side, catching her breath.

Adagio noticed Elphaba's sudden weakness and touched her shoulder with his snout.

"You okay?" he asked, true concern for her in his deep voice.

"I'm fine," Elphaba whispered shakily. She smiled at him and patted his nose. "Thanks, Adagio."

"No problem, Elphaba," the Horse nickered. "They are not too far from here. Good luck."

Without another word, Adagio galloped into the trees, his black form quickly leaving Elphaba's line of sight. She sighed heavily and turned around; facing the direction Adagio had pointed her to.

"I'm coming for you, Glinda," Elphaba whispered into the air.

_And no stupid elf is going to get in my way,_ she thought, a smirk creeping its way onto her face as she limped into the forest. _They don't call me 'wicked' for nothing._

***

"Don't come any closer!"

Glinda backed away, her back touching the rough bark of a particularly wide tree. She plastered herself against it as the strange, short green man walked closer to her. He was wearing a small fur vest and a skirt made out of dried leaves.

"Who are you?" she spat at the creature, seriously freaked out by the way he was just…_staring_ at her.

The elf narrowed his bright, green eyes. He scratched his bald head with one of his tiny hands, mumbling something inaudible.

Glinda gasped as she saw the sharp claws on the elf's hands as he scratched his head, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end in her fear.

The elf had never seen anything like this before in his life. He stepped closer to the blonde, reaching out to touch the most interesting golden curls on her head.

That's when Glinda screamed again.

The elf pressed his hands against his sharp, pointed ears, grimacing at the harsh sound.

"L-let me go," Glinda whimpered. "I didn't do anything to you. Just let me go!"

The elf frowned at her, not liking the fact that she had screamed. It hurt his overly sensitive ears. He put his hands around his mouth in an 'o' shape and started to produce a high, whistling sound that only his other brethren could hear.

"What are you doing?" Glinda asked him, her voice shaking violently. "I don't like you!"

The elf couldn't have cared less. He smiled the most disturbing smile Glinda had ever seen. She didn't know if he was actually smiling at her _at all_.

He once again reached for her blonde curls, the girl trembling as he drew closer to her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

"Hey!"

The elf froze at the new sound, his sharp claws barely touching Glinda's delicate, pale skin. The blonde opened her eyes and smiled at who she saw at the other side of the clearing.

"_Elphie!_"

The green woman limped forwards a few steps as the elf turned around to face her, the strange, sinister smile still plastered on his face.

"Don't you _dare_ touch my girlfriend," Elphaba growled, slowly taking the satchel off her shoulder and setting it on the grass next to her.

"Oh, Elphie!" Glinda cried, the relief evident in her voice.

Elphaba put a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet for a moment while she dealt with the elf.

Glinda nodded, understanding. She watched as the elf crept closer to Elphaba, intrigued by this new presence in the clearing.

Elphaba quietly bent down low to the ground and slipped out the Grimmerie from the satchel, all the while staring straight at the elf, making sure he kept his attention on _her_, not Glinda.

_The way he's smiling is scaring the shit out of me,_ Elphaba thought as she opened the Grimmerie. _It's as if he knows what I'm going to do to him._

The elf, however, didn't know what was going on at all. He was clearly wary of Elphaba and this new thing she had produced out of her bag, but he crept ever closer to her, his leaf skirt brushing against the ground underneath him.

Glinda watched her love from the other side of the clearing, praying that she knew what she was doing. _And her legs,_ she thought. _Oh, Elphie-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Elphaba started to chant from the Grimmerie, her hands twisting and turning about in the air as she worked her magic.

"Remth ulink yans florim remth ulink yans florim!"

The elf then let out a piercing scream as it collapsed to the ground, twitching and writhing in agony.

Glinda felt her heart race as the elf screamed again and again as Elphaba continued to chant, his high pitched voice ringing in her ears. Suddenly a bright, white light erupted from the elf, momentarily blinding Glinda.

Elphaba slowly lowered the hand that she had been using to shield her eyes from the bright light her spell had caused, rapidly blinking a few times. She smiled when she saw the result of her spell. It had worked to perfection.

Glinda shook her head, clearing away the white spots that had appeared in her vision. She then spotted a bouquet of flowers lying in the middle of the clearing where the elf had been a few moments before.

_What the…?_

Elphaba gingerly placed the Grimmerie back in her satchel, closed it and slung it back over her shoulder. She got up and limped over to the bouquet of flowers, picking it up.

Glinda watched this, not knowing quite what to say when Elphaba approached her with the bouquet in her hands.

The green woman presented the bouquet to her love, smiling apologetically. "Is it too late to say I'm sorry?" she whispered, staring straight into Glinda's blue eyes.

"Oh, Elphie," the blonde breathed, accepting the bouquet.

Elphaba smiled. "You were right all along. I'm sorry for being such a bitch."

Glinda couldn't hold it in any longer. She threw her arms around her green love and kissed her with vigor.

Elphaba melted into Glinda's embrace, returning the kiss fiercely. She felt Glinda's tongue slip in her mouth and for a few moments they were lost in that one kiss. She laughed as they parted, panting from the sudden lack of oxygen.

Glinda felt Elphaba's fingers wipe the tears of joy away from her eyes as the green woman held her close. "I take it you forgive me?" she asked her lover, burying her face against those beautiful blonde curls, deeply breathing in the scent of shampoo.

"After that incredibly adorable and romantic gesture, how can I not? Of course I forgive you, Elphie. And you weren't a bitch…"

Elphaba raised a brow questioningly as she pulled back to look at Glinda.

The blonde laughed as she gave those green lips a peck. "Okay, you _were_."

Elphaba smiled and held her love close to her chest, so happy that she was back by her side, safe and unharmed. Suddenly a whiz was heard and she gasped, clutching at Glinda's blouse.

"Elphie? What's wro-"

Suddenly, Elphaba collapsed into her arms, causing the blonde to gasp in surprise, her knees buckling at the weight of her lover against her. The bouquet of flowers fell to the ground as Glinda saw the arrow protruding from Elphaba's back.

She then looked up to see an elf lower its bow, its bright green eyes glittering maliciously as it smiled at her.

Glinda and Elphaba were quickly surrounded as its brethren melted out of the shadows, that same, sinister smile plastered on their faces.

***

Frynda adjusted the collar of her black cloak.

_That was the fastest I've ever changed clothes_, she thought. _I have to get out of here before Zafryna can do something to stop me. _

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Frynda, you are going to make me do something I will regret," she heard Zafryna growl from outside the door.

"Go ahead!" Frynda called after her. "See if that can stop me!"

_Okay, I'm getting a little cocky here,_ she warned herself. _I better shut my mouth before I say something_ I_ will regret._

"_Frynda!_" Zafryna pounded at the door in her frustration. "You haven't stepped out of this palace in years! Where are you going to go?"

"To the Never-Ending Forest first, of course," Frynda told her as if it was basic knowledge. "That's the closest place here."

"Are you fucking _kidding_ me?" Zafryna screamed, pulling at the locked door. "You can't go in there! You don't even know what _lives_ in there!"

"Well, I guess I will have to find out!" Frynda told her and grabbed the sheets off of the beds in the room. She quickly tied knots between them, making a makeshift rope.

"Oh my- Frynda! _PLEASE!_"

"I'm sorry, Zaf! You could keep track of me through your looking glass if you want!" Frynda opened the window in the room and threw the 'rope' over the side of the palace's wall, catching the end of it before it could slip out of her grasp. She smiled as she looked down to the ground below. It was just long enough.

_Perfect!_

"_FRYNDA!_" Zafryna was about to break down the door in her desperation.

Frynda tied the end of the 'rope' to the wooden post of her bed, pulling on it to make sure it was tight enough. It was.

"See ya later, sis!"

Without another word, Frynda climbed down the 'rope', her boots gripping against the stone of the palace's red exterior walls.

Zafryna managed to burst through the door, her heart sinking when she realized her sister had already left via window. She hurriedly ran to it and pulled up the 'rope', not surprised when she didn't feel any weight on it. She looked down towards the ground to see the end of Frynda's black cloak as she ran into the woods and away from the palace.

Zafryna let out a scream of frustration, burying her head in her hands.

"Great. This is just _great!_"


	26. Chapter 26

**Yes, this IS an early update! I conducted a little bit of secret business in order for this to happen. (I guess my cliffhangers are just too much to bear!) :P**

**This chapter is dedicated to MorsDelecti, who wrote a one-shot for me in exchange for this new chapter. Go check it out when she puts it up. I'm sure it will be great! 8D**

**Enjoy this chapter, everyone!**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 26

Bolynda gasped as Morrible tightened the strap around her waist a little too tightly.

"Do you mind?" the blue-skinned girl hissed.

"Oh sorry, dearie." Morrible loosened the strap and Bolynda exhaled, obviously relieved. "We don't want it _too_ loose. Ah, there we go."

Bolynda looked at herself in the large mirror in front of her. She was wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was a sparkling navy blue with long sleeves and a v-shaved neckline, complementing her small, yet ample breasts.

As she admired her reflection in the mirror, she noticed the dress matched perfectly with her skin tone. It was as if this dress was made for her. Her black, short hair barely touched her bare, blue shoulders as she turned her head, examining herself.

"You look stunning, dearie," Morrible told her, smiling. "This dress was originally meant for someone else, but it seems that it suits you much better."

"Really?" Bolynda asked her.

"Mm-hm," Morrible said and strode away from her to get something from the top of her dresser.

"Who was it?"

Morrible walked back to her, carrying something shiny in her hand. "Oh, you wouldn't know her, Bolynda," she chuckled, holding out the necklace she was holding for Bolynda to see.

Bolynda's aqua blue eyes opened in her awe. "Oh…oh my… "

"Isn't it beautiful, my dear?"

"It's…it's…"

Morrible chuckled as she wrapped the silver chain around Bolynda's neck and snapped it into place. "There are no words to describe this beautiful piece of jewelry. I was just as speechless when I had received it."

"T-this is yours?"

"_Used _to be mine, dearie. Now it's yours."

Bolynda's mouth gaped open in shock. "W-what? You're…you're giving it to me?"

"As you can see, dearie, I'm not the same spring chicken I used to be all those years ago. Someone else younger than me needs to bear this upon her breast proudly just as I had. And who better else to choose than our new Magic Grand Vizier?"

Bolynda smiled at her and turned to look at herself in the mirror, gently touching the beautiful diamond-shaped blue jewel that rested against her chest. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing, my dear. I could see it in your eyes."

Bolynda sniffed, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. "T-thank you. Thank you s-so much."

Without warning, she hugged the older woman.

Morrible blinked, not used to this kind of physical contact. She then awkwardly returned the hug, patting the girl's bare back.

"We must get going, dearie," Morrible whispered in her ear. "I could already hear the crowd gathering outside."

Suddenly Bolynda panicked. "What do I say to them?"

"Don't worry, dearie," Morrible smiled. "Just let me do the talking. You just stand there and look pretty."

Bolynda nodded, smiling.

"I will see you outside," Morrible told her as she strode out of the dressing room, leaving the blue-skinned girl alone.

Bolynda turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. She touched the blue jewel on her chest again and closed her eyes.

_I feel so bad for the girl who had to miss out on this,_ she thought. _I wonder who she was…?_

Shaking those distracting thoughts from her head, she hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.

***

Fiyero looked down at the crowd gathered before him, gulping nervously. Morrible stood next to him, smiling as she examined the large turnout. She had told the newspapers to print a large bulletin last night before the morning's edition was to be published throughout Oz. She had printed in the bulletin that she was going to reveal incredible news to Oz.

At first she had planned to reveal that the Wicked Witch of the West was still alive, but Bolynda's sudden arrival had changed all of that. She didn't need that now. Bolynda was now on their side.

_A mind reader!_ she thought excitedly.

"Would you like telling me someday what you are planning?" Fiyero stage-whispered to her, his smile never leaving his face.

"Soon, sire," Morrible told him. "Just keep in mind that Bolynda is our new Magic Grand Vizier and I am your new Press Secretary."

Fiyero blinked in surprise. "Press Secretary? We never said anything about-"

Morrible didn't let him finish as she strode forward to the podium, clapping her hands to get the crowd's attention. A roll of thunder sounded in the distance and the crowd was hushed into a silence.

"Fellow Ozians," Morrible began, speaking into the microphone. "It gives me great pleasure to see you all here today. I know you haven't seen me for a while and yes, those rumors you were hearing were true. I _was_ in Southstairs for a while."

The crowd gasped, murmuring to themselves.

"But my fellow Ozians listen to me," Morrible said quickly, silencing them once again. "In those long, three years I have seen the error in my ways. Our great Emperor has granted me a full pardon and I have returned to be your Press Secretary once again."

The crowd was silent as they took this in.

Fiyero gritted his teeth. He wasn't expecting this to happen.

"I have other news for you, fellow Ozians," Morrible said to them, not liking that the Ozians hadn't reacted much to her announcement of being Press Secretary. "There is a young girl that I would like for you all to meet. Her appearance might be a little startling…even disturbing, but believe me, my fellow Ozians; she is well worth the…surprise."

Fiyero glanced at the door behind them, seeing Bolynda's nervous face through the window. He then looked back at the crowd, wondering how they will react to their new, _blue _Magic Grand Vizier.

"Fellow Ozians, I present to you…your new Magic Grand Vizier!"

The doors in front of Bolynda opened, startling her. She shyly stepped outside and stood next to Morrible.

As soon as she was within sight of the crowd, she heard several screams ripple through the assembly. Her heart sank as they started to shout at her. She felt something land and explode on her cheek and raised a hand to wipe at it.

It was an egg. They had thrown an egg at her.

Soon there were many eggs coming to rain down at her.

"_Witch!_" she heard someone scream.

"_What is this world coming to?_"

"_She's blue now?_"

Bolynda erupted in tears as the eggs splattered all over her, Morrible and Fiyero. She ran out of the balcony, her hands over her eyes as she sobbed.

Fiyero shielded himself from the raining eggs using his arms and glared at Morrible in the process.

The older woman had also shielded herself from the eggs, knowing that this was one of the possible scenarios that could have happened. One she wasn't well prepared for.

_Nobody deserves to be humiliated like that! _Fiyero thought and ran after Bolynda.

Morrible gritted her teeth and wiped at the egg shells that had caught in her gray hair. She quickly muttered a chant and produced a magical shield over herself, catching the eggs before they could explode on her.

_How in Oz did they get these many eggs?_ she briefly wondered. She stood up and waved her arms. The egg throwing stopped as the Ozians below her realized that Bolynda was gone.

"That's _enough!_" Morrible told them, thunder booming in the distance. "This will be continued at a more appropriate time! Consider this meeting dismissed!"

Without another word, she removed her shield and rushed out of the balcony, leaving a bewildered crowd behind as the rain started to pour down on them.

***

Melena tried not to trip over herself as she stumbled into the carriage, her limbs threatening to give way. She threw herself ungracefully on the plush seat, her breathing coming out in ragged gasps.

_Finally,_ she thought, _a break from that heat…_

"I still can't believe it," Shell whispered as he sat down next to her. He looked at the journal in his hands, grinning brightly.

Melena looked at him; smiling with the affection she had never gotten to show him and never will be able to. She decided to start talking to him. It was all she _can _do.

"So…Elphaba is your sister?"

"Yes, ma'am," Shell replied, lifting his head to look at her.

Melena nodded as she felt the carriage start to move. She guessed they were headed to Colwen Grounds in Munchkinland. She sighed inwardly.

_At least I'll be somewhere, _she thought.

"Why don't you tell me your name?" Shell asked her. "You have an awfully familiar voice."

Melena gulped.

_He couldn't possibly remember me,_ she thought. _He was just a newborn when I last saw him…_

"My name is Jaslyn," she said, using her usual alias when she came to Oz.

"Oh, that's a nice name." Shell smiled at her. "Thank you for showing up and bringing me this wonderful news, Jaslyn. I'm not sure how you came up with this journal, but I'm glad you did."

"It seems fate had brought us together." Melena was about to say '_again_', but she knew she would only succeed in confusing the boy.

"It seems it has," Shell agreed. "I can't wait to read what my sister was up to all these years. I miss her, you know."

Melena nodded. _It seems as if Elphaba was a temporary mother figure for him,_ she thought sadly_. It isn't fair for him. He should have a real mother._

Shell suddenly let out a sigh. "I hope she still remembers me," he said, fingering the journal's leather cover with his index finger.

"I have no doubt she does," Melena told him.

"She does?"

Melena nodded. She knew Elphaba would still care for her brother even if he couldn't know that she was even alive. And it was evident that Shell still cared for her too.

"Just before my other sister, Nessa, died, she came to me. She told me that she still loved me and that we'll be seeing each other soon."

Melena blinked when she heard her deceased daughter's name.

"When I heard that Elphaba died, I didn't want to believe it at first. It wasn't like my sister to give up like that. She was a fighter." He sighed as he looked at the journal in his hands.

"It seems that I was right. She hasn't given up yet."

Melena nodded, surprised that Shell and her had shared the same suspicions about Elphaba's death.

"When will I be able to see her again?" Shell asked her, his voice small.

Melena thought about this, then shook her head. "You won't be able to see her for a while. She still is in, you know-"

"Hiding." Shell nodded. "I understand. I'm just so happy that I have at least one family member left. The rest have died."

Melena frowned, feeling the hard rock of guilt at the pit of her stomach. _He would still have me,_ she thought. _If I wasn't such a-_

Suddenly, Shell touched her hand, interrupting her thoughts.

"Why don't you take off that mask, Jaslyn?" he asked her. "You're not in the sun anymore and I would like to see who I am talking to."

Melena looked at him, wondering if she should. _He probably won't recognize me anyway,_ she thought. Carefully and slowly, she unwrapped the black fabric away from her face.

Shell smiled as Melena revealed her face. "You're pretty," he said.

"T-thanks," Melena stammered, not quite sure if she should accept that comment from her son. She touched her face, feeling it dry. _It seems I've stopped melting,_ she thought in relief. _I will never, _ever_ subject myself to that kind of heat again._

She then looked at Shell, smiling. He smiled a boyish grin back at her, his perfect, white teeth contrasting against his olive-colored skin.

_He has the same colored skin as I had before the transformation,_ she thought. _He looks as handsome as I had always imagined him to be. His future wife will be one lucky girl. _

Melena then broke the eye contact as she shifted into a more comfortable position on the seat. She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted.

Noticing Melena was drifting off to sleep, Shell opened Elphaba's journal to the first page, studying her neat, cursive handwriting. He began to read it to himself, figuring the ride was going to be a long one from here on out.

_Dear Journal, _

_I'm quite confused as to what to do with you. You were a gift from a very special girl I now call my girlfriend. _

Shell stopped reading and blinked in confusion.

_Girlfriend?_ he thought. _She has a…_girl_friend?_

Shaking his head, he read on.

_She told me to write everything that happens every day here. Of course, that's preposterous. I don't remember even_ half_ the things that happen in a day, never mind_ write_ them down at the end of it. But I promised her I would try. _

_And I keep my promises. _

_So, journal, here I go. Today Glinda and I-_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa."

Shell reread those last few words.

"Did I just read _Glinda_?"

Melena, who was never really asleep, looked at a very confused Shell. She knew that her children in Oz had grown up under certain values with Frex, her former husband, as their father. He was a strict Unionist, therefore supporting only male-female relationships. She had no doubt Shell had been drilled to no end on these very narrow-minded values.

_I bet Shell is very bewildered by his sister's sexual preferences,_ she thought.

"Shell," she started to say.

"I'm confused," he said, interrupting her and looking up to meet her steel gray gaze.

"Love comes in many forms, Shell," Melena said to him, staring deep into his green eyes. "It doesn't matter-"

"No, Jaslyn. I don't care that she's in love with a girl," Shell told her. "I'm fine with that."

Melena raised a brow. She certainly didn't expect_ that_ to come out of someone who had been raised by a preacher. "Then what is it?"

"It's the fact that she loves _Glinda_. The last time I saw her, she told me they _hated_ each other."

_They did?_ Melena asked herself. She didn't know that both the girls had rocky beginnings. _That just goes to show how well I know Elphaba, _she thought sarcastically.

"They're pretty much in love with each other," Melena said truthfully, acting once again as Elphaba's mysterious lackey…or whatever Shell thought she was. "I guess when two people loathe each other for a while, it turns into love."

Shell stared at her with unblinking, green eyes. "That makes_ no_ sense."

Melena shrugged. She wasn't an expert on the subject of love. She had thought she had fallen in love many times, but they had never worked out for her. First she thought it was Frex, but very quickly she had found out he wasn't what she needed. Next came Turtle Heart, a Quadling she had fallen quite hard for while she was still married to Frex. Then came a man she had met in Zo (whom she still couldn't remember the name to yet) and a few others in Zo she couldn't quite remember.

_I've had my fare share of falling in and out of love_, she thought. _But I've given up a long time ago. Love just can't seem to settle down with me. _

So she had focused on family love instead, loving her three daughters in Zo and her other children in Oz, even if they didn't even know she was alive. That was all the love she needed.

Shell was quiet for a few minutes. He closed Elphaba's journal, not wanting to read any more. He didn't understand what path his sister had taken all these years with Glinda and he guessed he never will.

_But as long as she's happy, I'm happy_, he thought. _And I'll be even happier when I finally meet her after all these years I thought she was dead._

"But if I do know one thing about love," Melena suddenly said, snapping Shell out of his reverie, "it's that love knows no boundaries. And I've never seen two people more made for each other than Elphaba and Glinda, even if they're polar opposites. And you know what they say…"

Shell smiled at her. "Opposites attract."


	27. Chapter 27

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm glad you all are loving this story and putting up with my absolute horrid cliffhangers! xP**

**We finally get to Elphaba and Glinda in this chapter, so enjoy it~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 27

Frynda ran into the forest, her boots crunching noisily on the leaf-litter that was scattered on the ground under her. She had a hand on her long, sheathed dagger which she had hurriedly placed on the hilt on her belt.

Her heart was pounding as she slowed down to a walk, her breathing coming out in ragged gasps. She hadn't had this much exercise in what seemed like years. The red woman looked at the forest around her, suddenly feeling very small.

_Have I made a mistake in coming here first?_ she thought. _This forest is awfully big. It'll take forever to look for them. _

She then shook her head.

_No, Frynda,_ she thought. _No second-guessing now. You came here for a reason. You will find them. You know you will._

After that little pep talk to herself, she headed into the thick mass of trees, unaware of the little green person following her in the shadows.

***

Adagio trotted around in circles, angry with himself.

_Why did I have to leave her alone?_ he asked himself. _I'm such a wimp. I've faced those stupid elves before. Why can't I do it again?_

He stopped his erratic movements as an old pain came throbbing back to his left flank. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at the scar that an elf arrow had made a while back when he had last encountered the green creatures. He then shook his head irritably.

_They had outnumbered me last time,_ the black Horse thought. _There's a pretty good chance they will outnumber me again. _

He then thought back on the look of pain he had seen in Elphaba's face when she had dismounted off his back and the way she had to lean on him in order to regain balance.

_That girl is in no way able to take on all those elves by herself to rescue her friend,_ he thought. _I have to help them, I just have to! _

He was about to run back into the forest once again, but his old fears held him back.

_What if they do what they did to me last time?_ he thought worriedly. He stamped a hoof in his frustration.

"C'mon, you coward!" he said aloud. "She needs your help!"

_Don't do it,_ his conscience warned him. _The elves already know who you are…_

"Oh, what the hell!" he cried and charged into the forest before he could change his mind. "I'm coming, Elphaba!"

***

Glinda woke up with a groan.

_Where am I?_

She heard the sounds of unintelligible muttering above her and she opened her eyes to see a pair of bright green eyes staring back at her. She let out a scream which was soon cut off by a two small hands on her lips.

"Shh, girl!" she heard the elf hiss above her. "You want to alert brothers?"

Glinda blinked at the female elf, not sure if she should throw the smaller elf off of her or try to scream again.

"You safe now. No screaming. Please. It hurts."

Glinda muttered something into the elf's hands. She pointed at her mouth, indicating that she wanted to talk now.

The elf nodded and removed her hands slowly, wary of Glinda and her rather loud voice.

"Who are you?" Glinda asked her, sensing that this elf will mean her no harm…for now.

"I am Diaria."

"Diaria?" Glinda repeated the elf's name. "What are you going to do to me? Where am I? What-"

"Shh, girl!" Diaria once again put her hands on Glinda's mouth. "Too many questions."

Glinda narrowed her blue eyes in her increasing annoyance. _There are other ways to shut me up, you know, _she thought venomously.

Diaria then bent down to whisper into her ear, "Brothers have Green One. They-"

_Elphie!_

Glinda started to struggle against Diaria's weak grip, sending the poor elf flying off her and rolling into the grass a few feet away. That's when she noticed her hands and feet were bound and tethered to the grass underneath her.

_Oh my Oz!_ she thought. _They captured me! They probably captured Elphie too! Oh no! What are they doing to her?_

Diaria crawled back to Glinda's side, a slightly annoyed look displayed on her sharp, elfish features.

"Brothers tied you to ground, girl."

"Thanks for telling me _now_," muttered Glinda. "Can you get me out of here?"

Diaria shook her head. "No. Brothers don't want yellow haired girl free."

Glinda struggled against the restraints, but found them irritatingly strong. She didn't know these tiny elves had the strength to restrain her like this. They must be more powerful than she had originally thought.

_Oz knows what they're doing to Elphie! she_ thought feverishly, remembering the arrow that she had seen protruding from her love's back.

"Green One being healed by brothers, girl," Diaria told her in her broken speech, sensing the blonde's concern for the woman she called Green One. "She had very bad legs."

Glinda couldn't help but smile. Maybe these elves had different intentions, maybe-

"Then they kill her."

Glinda's smile abruptly turned into a frown. "_WHAT?_"

Diaria flinched at Glinda's scream. She raised her hands to cover her sensitive ears, hissing in pain.

"_Let me go!_" screeched the blonde, writhing against the restraints. They wouldn't budge no matter how hard she struggled. "_Let me go!!_"

"Would you _shut up_?!" Diaria yelled over her voice, her voice coming out as a high screech. "Green One has to pay for misdeeds!"

"_No! Elphie!_"

Diaria couldn't take it any longer. She threw herself on Glinda, straddling her. She hurriedly covered Glinda's mouth once again with her hands, trying to stifle the blonde's screams. She screeched out in pain as Glinda bit her hand, causing her to take her hands off the girl's mouth.

"Get off me! _GET OFF ME!_" Glinda shrieked at her, twisting her body as far as her restraints would allow her to, trying to get the green elf off her.

Diaria hurriedly got off of Glinda's stomach, not wanting fly off into the air again. She quickly crawled away to get her bow and quiver of arrows that were laying a few feet away from Glinda's head.

"_Let me go, damn it!_"

"I didn't want to do this, girl," Diaria growled as she cocked a special arrow on her bow and aimed for Glinda's thrashing legs. "But brothers told me no screaming."

She released the arrow and watched as it embedded itself in one of Glinda's thighs. The blonde let out a gasp at the sudden sharp pain and her head lolled back to the ground, her eyes fluttering shut. She was asleep.

Diaria shook her head, trying to get the ringing out of her ears.

"Finally, good quiet," she mumbled and sat down. "Yellow haired girl is very loud."

She then resumed her duty to watch over the slumbering Glinda. She played with the end of her leaf skirt, wishing she could watch the slaying of the green woman.

_They always leave me behind just because I'm the youngest and a female_, she thought in the strange language the elves speak amongst themselves. _It's not fair._

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the sound of clopping behind her. Before she could react, she felt teeth grip the nape of her neck and she was hauled up off the ground.

She let out a squeak as she realized she was high above the ground, lifted by an unseen force.

"Good grief! This tastes nasty," she heard something mumble behind her head. Before she could realize what was happening, she saw the world fly by her as she was being thrown across the clearing.

***

Adagio flinched as he heard the _crack_ of tree branches as the elf he had catapulted landed into the forest behind him. After a few moments of silence, he figured the elf was either dead or unconscious.

_That was just a little one_, he thought. _The others won't be far behind._

The Horse trotted closer to Glinda's slumbering form, curiously sniffing at her body with his large snout.

_This must be the girl Elphaba was talking about,_ he thought. _I've got to get her out of here. _

He studied the restraints on her hands and feet for a few seconds before he opened his mouth and chewed on the tack that kept the rope tied to the ground. Soon he spewed the tack unto the ground, releasing the girl's right hand.

_Three more to go,_ he thought tiredly. _This is one of the few times in my life I wished I had hands._

Wasting no more time, he undid the last three restraints. He then nudged the girl's chest, snorting in her ear.

"Wake up!" he said loudly. "This is not nap time!"

Glinda suddenly giggled at the Horse's breath in her ear. "Oh, Elphie…" she mumbled in her sleep.

"Elphie?" asked Adagio. "Who's Elphie?"

To his dismay, the blonde continued to slumber on, snoring softly.

Adagio was growing impatient. He decided he had to do this the hard way. He lowered his head and pushed his snout against the small of Glinda's back, managing to lift the blonde just enough so he could get his large head completely underneath her.

"This is awkward," the Horse grumbled against the fabric of Glinda's blouse.

He carefully lifted the blonde upwards, using his head to raise her up off the ground. He flattened his ears as he felt Glinda roll unto his back, her hands and feet on the opposite sides of his flank. He felt her hands stroke his black fur as she giggled, surprisingly still asleep.

Adagio briefly wondered what she could be possibly dreaming about.

He then shook his head. _Nevermind. I don't wanna know._

"There we go," he said to Glinda, who was now shifting uncomfortably in this strange, new position she was in. "Now just don't--"

_Thump. _

"—fall."

***

Elphaba woke up screaming.

The pain in her legs was unbearable. She writhed and thrashed about, her vision clouded by the sheer agony she was feeling. She felt hands prod and poke at her legs, each touch sending fire to her brain, adding to her anguish.

"S-stop!" she shrieked at no one in particular.

She heard mumbling, and then her vision went black once again as she fell back into a deep sleep.

The elf that was touching her shook his head, removing his wet hands from Elphaba's purple-splotched legs.

"Okay, then. No water."

***

Zafryna stormed down the stairs, seething.

"I can't believe she just _left_ like that," she growled to herself. "She's so naïve, just like Bolynda. Am I the only one in this whole damn family that has some sense here?"

The yellow-skinned woman practically ran towards the palace's front doors, stopping right in front of the red-bearded doorman who, to her dismay, was sleeping.

The doorman was startled awake by Zafryna's sudden presence, wiping the drool off his face as got up from the chair.

"Y-yes, ma'am?" he stuttered, giving her a small salute.

"Asleep on the job?" Zafryna snarled, too angry to be her usual, placid self with the man.

The doorman looked surprised, but he knew what she was fuming about. She must have noticed Elphaba and Glinda had slipped away without him lifting a finger to stop them. And he didn't want to lie to himself. He _did _let the girls go and he was awake too. It was just something so familiar about them that had stirred him to let them go.

"By any chance, did you notice two girls leave here, Simon?" Zafryna asked him. "And I'm not talking about in your _dreams_."

Simon looked guilty. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am. I barely got any sleep last night."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" said Zafryna. "Now, thanks to you, Frynda is gone too."

"Frynda?" Simon asked, concerned. He was quite fond of the red girl ever since he had started working at the palace for the Great Witch. "She's gone?"

"Yes, Simon." Zafryna hissed the two _S_'s like a snake.

Simon nervously fixed his hat as Zafryna glared daggers at him.

"Let me through, Simon," Zafryna told him. "I have to go after my sister."

"Is Bolynda or Her Highness here?" the doorman asked the yellow-skinned girl. He was under strict orders to leave at least one member of the ruler's family in the palace at all times. If Zafryna was the only one here, he would have to take action to make sure she stayed.

"No," Zafryna muttered, temporarily forgetting that very important rule.

"Well, that settles it," Simon said. "I can't let you go."

"Aw, Simon!" Zafryna was growing quite cross with the red-bearded man. "You are honestly going to keep me from my sister because of some rule my mother made up?"

"Your _mother_ happens to be my _boss_," Simon told her dryly. "And I would like to keep my job, thank you very much."

Zafryna wanted to choke him for holding her up. She then made a bee-line for the massive wooden double doors, her fists clenched tightly to her sides.

Simon noticed she was going directly for the doors and he hurriedly pressed a button on his maroon-colored uniform coat, automatically locking the door.

Zafryna grabbed the door handles and pulled with all her might, not surprised at all that she found it locked. She glared heatedly at the carvings of dragons that adorned the doors before whirling around to face the doorman once again.

Her eye twitched. "You are _really_ annoying me now, Simon."

Simon gave her a small salute as he sat back on his chair. "Just doing my job, Zafryna."

Zafryna gave a frustrated _'argh'_, whipped back around to the doors and banged on them with both her fists several times in her exasperation.

_Why me?!_ she thought. _Why do _I_ have to be the one in here while my sisters get to have all the fun out there? For the Named God's sake, I'm the _oldest!

She shook her head. _No, not anymore now,_ she thought. _Elphaba is older than me by about two years_. _Great, not only do I have _more_ siblings, I have _older _siblings!_

She leaned her head against the hard wood, sighing heavily.

_I hate my life._

***

Fiyero followed the sounds of sobbing all through his grand palace, finally leading him to an old maid's closet. He gently opened the door, only for it to be forcefully closed shut again by the devastated girl inside.

"Leave me alone!" Bolynda shouted at him from within the closet.

"Bolynda, I want to talk to you," Fiyero told her. "That really wasn't supposed to happen—"

"Oh, why do _you_ care?" was her heated reply. "I don't see any problems with _your _skin, Emperor!"

Fiyero looked down at his dark skin, glancing briefly at the blue tattoos etched on his hand. "Come out of there, Bolynda," he ordered her, knocking on the door. "As your Emperor, I order you."

"You're not my Emperor," Bolynda muttered so softly Fiyero barely caught it.

_Not her Emperor?_ he thought. _What could she mean?_

He heard her laugh inside the closet, already reading his mind. "You don't know anything about me, do you?"

"No," Fiyero told her. "I've only known you for about, what? An hour?"

Bolynda laughed again. "Touché."

"So…" It seemed as if Bolynda had calmed down enough to let him talk to her. "Is it safe to talk to you now?"

"You're talking to me right now, aren't you?" she asked him rhetorically. "So talk."

Fiyero put a hand on the door's handle, giving it a jiggle. It was locked, of course. "I meant face-to-face. I don't like talking to a door."

"I…I don't want you to see me right now. I look horrible." Her voice sounded small. "The door might be a better option to talk to."

Fiyero looked down at his own stained, green uniform. "I don't look any better, Bolynda. And if I remember correctly, you are prettier than a door. Come out or let me in."

Suddenly the handle turned and the door opened a bit.

"Come in."


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey, everyone~**

**There has been questions on the ages in this story, so I'll give you a quick rundown from oldest to youngest-**

**Melena- 40 or so...?**

**Elphaba and Fiyero- 25**

**Glinda- 24**

**Zafryna- 23**

**Bolynda- 19**

**Frynda and Shell- 16**

**Hope this helped and enjoy the new chapter~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 28

Frynda was sitting on a large rock, resting a bit when she had heard a twig snap from somewhere behind her.

She hurriedly got up and whirled around, her dagger in her hand. She raised it threateningly, all the while looking around at her surroundings.

_What was that?!_ she asked herself, her heart pounding in her chest.

A few seconds ticked by and nothing appeared. She lowered the dagger cautiously, sheathing it on the hilt of her belt.

_That was weird,_ she thought. _I must have been-_

Suddenly a weight threw itself on her back and she collapsed against the grassy ground, her face taking in a mouthful of dirt. She felt something sharp dig into her back and she gave a loud gasp. She reached behind her to take whatever it was off and only succeeded in getting her hand slashed open by a set of very sharp claws.

She gave a yell of pain as blood started to pour from her wound. The scratching on her back was growing incessant. She quickly got up from the ground and reached over her back again, grabbing something leathery and pulling on it.

She screamed as she felt claws embed themselves on her back, keeping whatever it was in place. Thinking quickly, she reached to her belt and unsheathed her dagger. She prayed she wouldn't miss as she stabbed at her back, trying to kill whatever it was that was causing her this pain.

She jumped when she heard a high-pitched scream right in her ear as the dagger hit its target. She let go of the dagger in surprise as something went '_thump_' behind her back. She whirled around and blanched at the sight.

There was a pool of blood and a green creature crawled around, writhing in pain and clutching at the dagger in its chest, its end protruding through its back. It looked like a tiny person with abnormally long claws and sharp, pointy ears.

_An elf,_ she thought in horror. _There are elves here!_

She then looked at the bleeding wound at her hand, the blood camouflaging itself against her red skin. The throbbing pain in her back reminding her of the numerous scratches the elf had inflicted on her. Always having had a weak stomach, she couldn't take the sight of this much blood and she retched on the ground, barely heaving anything except the remnants of her Zoian casserole she had last night for dinner.

_Argh,_ she thought, wiping her mouth with the back of her good hand. _I'm _so_ glad I didn't eat anything before I left. _

Clutching her injured left hand close to her chest, she made her way to the dying elf. Trying to look away as much as possible, she yanked her bloodied dagger out of the elf's chest. It gave one last silent scream and died, its thrashing stopping in an instant.

Frynda gulped and felt the nausea creep back as she glanced at her bloody dagger.

_I should wash it somewhere,_ she thought in disgust. _I can't carry it like this._

She then looked at her hand. _And I should wrap this up before I lose too much blood. _

Carrying the dagger in one hand and the other close to her chest, she walked away from the gruesome scene, not noticing the other elves melting out of the shadows, watching her as she left.

One of the bigger elves crawled up to its fallen brethren, sniffing at him warily and curling its lips in disgust.

"Another one of our brothers dies by the vile hands of humans," the lead male elf hissed in the elves' strange tongue. "This cannot keep going on. Our blood will not continue to spill unto our forest floor like this."

Without wasting any time, he reached over to the quiver on his back and pulled out an arrow. He cocked it on his wooden bow and signaled for his brethren to follow him.

"We must leave the green woman for now, brothers. She will pay later when her legs are fully healed. This red woman looks like an easier target for us to follow."

His brothers nodded their agreement, itching to get going, the smell of blood in the air further arousing their already deep rage for these humans that have intruded in their forest. They scratched at the ground and cocked arrows to their bows, all of their same, bright green eyes looking towards the lead elf for the command to leave.

"The humans must be punished for their misdeeds," the lead elf told them and together they crept after Frynda, sinister smiles plastered on their all of their faces.

***

Frynda looked around, relieved when she saw a stream flowing nearby.

Hurriedly she made her way towards it, dipping her wounded hand into the clear, cold water. She let out a sigh as the refreshing liquid washed all of the blood away and cleansed the gaping gash that had sliced through the palm of her hand.

She leaned against the tree next to her as she took the bloody dagger in her other hand and submerged it in the water, its steel blade shining once again as she washed it. After she was finished, she sheathed it back to the hilt on her belt.

After keeping her hand in the stream for a few more minutes or two, she took it out and started to gather the long leaves from the ferns around her in order to make a makeshift bandage.

Suddenly she heard a whiz by her ear and an arrow embedded itself into the tree she was leaning against. She gasped as the tree suddenly burst into flames, causing her to crawl backwards and into the stream.

She sputtered as she came up from the shallow stream, shaking her damp hair, sending droplets into the air. She then looked up at the flaming tree, then at the elves that had suddenly surrounded her. The lead elf had another flaming arrow pointed towards her, its bright green arrows narrowed as he let the arrow fly.

_Oh no,_ she thought, her heart sinking as she watched the arrow zoom towards her. At the last second she ducked back into the stream, the flaming arrow barely missing her head and setting ablaze a rather large tree not too far away.

The lead elf silently cursed himself as he watched his arrow miss once again. He motioned for his brothers to get ready to fire all at once at the red woman who was stumbling out of the stream now, her black cloak and clothes completely soaked.

Frynda then looked at the flaming tree beside her, her eyes opening wide as a brilliant idea come to her young mind.

_Maybe with fire I can--_

"_NOW!_"

Arrows quickly flew into the air, aiming straight for Frynda. The woman hurriedly put her arms into raging fire, feeling its familiar, comforting warmth against her skin as she felt the flames licking her skin like a dog would when greeting its owner.

As instantaneously as she had put her arms in the fire, she took them out. She whirled around and spread her arms far in front of her, protecting herself from the horde of arrows racing towards her. She kept her fists clenched, fearing that first sting she was sure to feel.

What happened next was nothing she had expected at all. As soon as she unclenched her fists, a column of fire erupted from the palms of her hands straight towards the arrows, burning through the missiles and engulfing them in flames.

The elves watched with undisguised awe as their arrows disintegrated right before them. The charred, smoldering remnants of the wooden arrows fell to the ground as Frynda ended her endless fire by clenching her fists once again. She stared at her fists, her amber eyes opened wide in amazement.

_That was_ totally_ wicked!_ she thought. _How did I do that?!_

She was afraid to unclench her fists; thinking fire would start spewing from her hands again. She then looked up at the elves, who were staring back at her, the fear evident in their bright green eyes.

She then started to laugh in this sudden change of events. The elves looked at each other, thinking they had underestimated this young human. She obviously was not a force to be reckoned with.

"You want to try and fight me _now, _little green people?" Frynda yelled at them, waving her clenched fists threateningly, laughing inwardly at the way their bug-eyed gaze followed her fists.

The elves suddenly screamed in panic and ran away, dropping their bows to the ground as they went. Only one stayed there, staring at the strange red woman as she turned around and laughed again, thinking all of them had ran away.

It was the lead elf that had stayed behind.

"This is not over yet, human," he growled to himself. "If you won't die, the other one will."

Without another word he melted back into the shadows, leaving Frynda alone.

The sixteen-year-old looked at her fists as she knelt down by the stream. She then peeled her eyes away to look into her reflection in the water. Her red face smiled back at her.

_That was amazing,_ she thought. _I wonder what other things I could do with fire? _

She hesitantly moved her hands so her palms would be facing the stream should fire explode out of her hands again when she unclenched her fists. One by one she forced her fingers to move, soon coming to an understanding that the fire was only a onetime thing.

She then looked at the palm of her left hand, realizing that the wound that once had been there was now completely healed; only a thin scar to remind her it was there in the first place.

_Could the touch of fire heal me too?_ she asked herself in wonder. _This is just too much to comprehend now!_

A sudden crash brought her back to the real world. She looked up, alarmed. The forest around her was ablaze and in her naivety she hadn't realized that her fire stunt had set the trees around her on fire.

"Oh no!" she gasped, getting up from her kneeling position.

_Glinda and Elphaba are still in here somewhere!_ she thought frantically. _I've got to get to them before the whole forest goes up in flames!_

Without another second to waste, she bolted into the forest, her black cloak billowing behind her.

***

Glinda woke up as soon as her body hit the ground.

"Argh!" she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head.

"Finally!" she heard a voice exclaim above her. She looked up to see a pair of big brown eyes stare back at her. The blonde let out a gasp and crawled backwards, startled by the black Horse in front of her.

"W-who are you?" she asked him, not sure what was going on.

"Adagio, your friendly neighborhood Horse."

Glinda looked at him strangely and rubbed her raw wrists where the ropes had held her in place. With a jolt, she realized she wasn't tied to the ground anymore.

"How—"

"You're welcome," Adagio told her, bowing his head.

"What are you doing here, Adagio?" Glinda asked him, not sure if she should trust the Horse. The three years that she had been living with Elphaba had taught her to be wary of everyone, including Animals.

"I'm your knight in shining armor," the Horse told her. "I've rescued you from those elves."

Glinda narrowed her blue eyes. _I only have one knight in shining armor, and she's—_

_Oh Oz._

The blonde quickly got up, startling the black Horse.

"Elphie!"

"Who is this Elphie you keep talking about?" Adagio grumbled to her.

"Elphaba! The green woman! My girlfriend!"

The Horse blinked, looking utterly confused. "Elphaba? She…she's your…?"

"Yes, she's my _girlfriend_! Do you know where she is?" Glinda practically yelled at him. "I'm kind of in a hurry here!"

"Me too," Adagio told her, still a little bewildered by Glinda's revelation. "Hop unto my back. I believe I know where she is."

Glinda wasted no time in mounting the Horse; her years of horse riding lessons showing as she expertly settled herself unto Adagio's back. She wasn't used to riding without a saddle and reins, but it wasn't the first time she had ridden a horse like this.

Adagio was about to bolt into the forest when a particular smell reached his sensitive nostrils. He gave a nervous whinny and shook his head, taking a few steps backwards.

"What is it?" Glinda asked him, her voice terse with impatience to get to her Elphie. She frowned when the Horse wasn't answering her. "What is it, Adagio? You're scaring me."

"Smoke," the Horse replied, his voice raspy. "I smell smoke."

Glinda's heart started to pound.

_Oh no._

***

Frynda stumbled through the forest, already seeing the effects of the fire in the air. Smoke started to cloud her vision and she began to cough as the thick substance entered her lungs.

"Elphaba! Glinda!" she called out, her voice hoarse. "Where are you guys?"

She continued to search through the mass of trees, instantly regretting coming here in the first place.

_They're probably going to die because of me!_ she thought. _I have to find them, I just have to!_

Using a part of her cloak to cover her mouth from the smoke, she continued to call for them, her voice muffled by the cloak.

"Elphaba! Glinda!"

Suddenly she had a coughing fit, her throat feeling grainy from the soot that she had breathed in. She put a hand on her stomach as she bent down to the ground, gasping for air. Fire started to surround her as her coughing fit eventually subsided.

_I'm going to suffocate if I keep breathing this in!_ she thought desperately.

Frynda quickly got up and blindly sprinted her way through the forest, her amber eyes smarting with the sting of the smoke as she ran.

Suddenly the smoke started to thin as she neared a grassy clearing. _That was the thickest part of the smoke. It hasn't reached here yet, thank the Named God,_ she told herself. _I hope they're here._ _If they're not, I don't know what I'll do. I can't go back in there._

Then Frynda heard voices. One of them she didn't recognize but the other made her heart skip a beat.

_Glinda!_

She couldn't believe her luck. Without giving it a second thought, she charged towards the source of the sound, bursting through the trees.

***

Glinda jumped as she saw a figure burst through the trees at the edge of the clearing.

To her dismay, the blonde saw a flash of red skin on the newcomer's face as she ran up to them, her breathing hard and labored. Frynda was completely covered in soot, making it look like she had taken a bath in ashes.

Glinda saw the tear-stains on Frynda's face as she stopped in front of her and Adagio.

"Glinda," she breathed, putting her hands on her knees in exhaustion. "Thank the Named God I found you."

"Let's go, Adagio," Glinda whispered to the confused Horse.

"What? And leave her behind?" Adagio asked her, his senses on high alert as he saw the soot-covered girl. _This fire must be worse than I thought,_ he thought. _This can't be good._

"No, Glinda," Frynda pleaded with the blonde desperately. "Listen, please! You have to come back to the palace with me! The forest is on fire! You and Elphaba have to get out of here!"

The red woman then looked at the Horse Glinda was riding a bit warily, not sure when or how he came into the picture. "You too!" she told him, making him flick his ears nervously.

"Elphaba needs our help now, Frynda," Glinda told the younger girl. "I'm sorry."

"What happened to her?" Frynda asked her feverishly, concern for her newfound sister in her voice.

"Elves," Adagio said, stomping his hooves impatiently. He needed to get out of this place. He already could smell the smoke stronger than before.

"Elves?" Frynda asked in shock, remembering the brief encounter she had with them not too long ago. "Take me with you, then."

Glinda shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, Frynda. Elphie needs me now."

Without another word she kicked Adagio's flanks for him to start moving. The Horse let out an annoyed neigh at her sudden harshness.

"Hey, hey, hey! No need for violence!" the Horse whinnied. "You could have just said 'let's go already!'"

"That's what I meant!" Glinda hissed, her patience dangerously low. She was just about to jump off the Horse and look for her love herself.

"I'm not leaving her behind in the fire," Adagio said chivalrously, motioning to Frynda with this snout. "Come on up, girl. I have room for two and then some for Elphaba. Just don't get comfy now."

Glinda gritted her teeth as she felt Frynda climb up behind her.

_Elphie is _not_ going to like this,_ she thought. _I'm helping the very people we're running away from._

Frynda settled behind Glinda, not sure if she should wrap her arms around her thin waist or not. _I need to hold on somehow,_ she thought and hesitantly put her arms around the blonde. She let a small smile play on her lips as she discovered a weird satisfaction in doing this.

Glinda felt Frynda's arms wrap around her waist and she tried hard not to snort in disgust. _Elphie should be the one wrapping her arms around me,_ she thought. _Not Frynda!_

"Hold on, girls!" Adagio reared back a bit, causing Glinda to grip his long, black mane tightly in her hands and Frynda's arms even tighter around her waist. "This is gonna be one hell of a ride!"

With that, he took off into the forest, the girls on his back hanging on for their dear lives.


	29. Chapter 29

**Your reviews are awesome, guys! That's what keeps me updating this often! And even more will get me updating even faster! I think it's a simple equation... :P**

**And about Frynda and Glinda....well, you'll see... :P**

**Enjoy this new chapter and of course if you have any questions, just PM me. :P**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 29

Fiyero closed the door behind him, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of the closet. He saw Bolynda standing before him, a small smile on her lips.

"Hello, Fiyero," she said.

"H-hi," the Emperor stammered. The way the blue girl was looking at him was making him feel uncomfortable.

Bolynda chuckled as she noticed his hesitation. This was what she was waiting for. A chance to get Fiyero…alone.

And what better way to be alone than in a very…_very_ small closet?

"Um, Bolynda,"

"Please, call me Bo," the blue girl told him, stepping closer to him. He took a step backwards, feeling the door against his back.

Bolynda quickly reached over and locked the door, startling him.

"W-what are you doing? I'll--"

Fiyero's words were cut off as Bolynda suddenly kissed him, her arms wrapping around his neck. He was about to pull away, but something within him told him to stay. It has been years since someone kissed him like this.

Bolynda finally ended the kiss, smiling at him. Her slender, blue fingers absentmindedly played with his black hair as she asked in the sultriest voice she could muster,

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

***

The elf let out a frustrated shriek as he felt someone poke his shoulder.

"What do you—oh, Olak."

The bigger elf let out a snarl. "It seems we have a problem, Mantu."

Mantu wiped the ointment from his hands against his leather vest. He glanced at the sleeping green woman lying on the grassy nest and he then turned back to Olak.

"What is it, Olak?"

"Fire."

"Fire?" Mantu sounded surprised. The forest hasn't had a fire in over two years. _But that isn't possible_, he thought. _I didn't see any lightning…_

"Yes. Another one of our brothers was killed by a human. This one, though very young, seems to have some sort of control over fire." Olak felt ridiculous saying this, but he couldn't deny the truth.

"_What?_" The elf couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I am not lying to you, Mantu. I have seen it with my very own eyes. Our brothers have run away in fear, those cowards." Olak's voice shook with anger.

Mantu couldn't help but feel a little trepidation himself. "Is she coming our way?"

"No, it seemed she was laughing at something when I left. I think she's mad."

Mantu then looked at Elphaba again, his eyes glancing over her now healed legs. He then turned back to Olak. "Is this fire this other human caused contained?"

"No. I fear it is going to spread to this camp soon."

Mantu scratched his angular chin with one of his sharp claws. "Then we must move as quickly as possible."

Olak smiled as he fingered something he was hiding behind his back, sensing the statement before it was said.

"We have to kill her now, then."

Olak brought out the dagger from behind his back. "I knew you were going to say that, Mantu."

The younger elf's eyes opened wide with surprise at the sight of the sharp, steel blade. "What is that?"

"I don't know. That woman dropped it and I found it on the grass before I left." Olak fingered the blade, careful not to prick his finger.

"What are you planning to do with it?" Mantu asked him, feeling awfully frightened of the dagger. If it had belonged to someone as powerful as that fire woman…

"I'm going to plunge this into her heart," Olak told him. "She must pay for her misdeed."

"Must we drive ourselves to this insanity of violence?" Mantu asked the bigger elf, shaking his head. "Can't we just use a poisonous berry or something…?"

"No, brother," Olak said, gripping the handle of the blade in both his hands, holding it out in front of him like a sword. He pointed it towards his healer of a brother and swung it around. "If the humans had used this to kill our brother, then I must use it to kill a human."

"Alright," Mantu said, backing away from Olak and the sharp blade he was playing around with. "But about the other one? The yellow-haired girl?"

"I'll kill her too," Olak said, smiling wickedly. "I'll kill them all!"

Mantu looked forlornly at the green woman he had just healed. He had healed her leg for practice purposes, for he had just started his training as a healer. And now she was just going to die under Olak's crazed claws. Mantu shook his head.

"Olak," Mantu said to him, putting a small green hand on his brother's broad shoulder. "She doesn't deserve to die like this."

"She killed one of our brothers!" Olak shrieked at him, pulling away from his grip. "She deserves to die!"

"Gavert was just a youngling, Olak," Mantu argued with him. "He had let his curiosity take over his common sense. It wasn't his place to mess with the humans."

"Oh, what do _you_ know? You're just a healer! You have never seen a fellow elf die like that," Olak snarled at him. "These humans are crazy, bloodthirsty creatures! If I hadn't gotten away in time, I'm sure that red human would have burned me alive."

"But, Olak,"

"Mantu," Olak sneered, stepping closer to the healer. He could see the weakness in his brother's bright green eyes as he continued,

"Are you…_defending_ the humans?"

"N-no," Mantu muttered, looking down at the ground. He couldn't defy his brother. He was afraid of him more than he was of these humans.

Olak smiled cruelly as he fixed his grip on the dagger's handle.

"Then you won't mind me doing this."

He strode towards the slumbering Elphaba and raised the dagger over his head, ready to thrust it into her chest.

Suddenly there was a crash and Olak froze in his place, the dagger's sharp point inches from Elphaba's breast.

"_Let the green girl go!_"

***

Adagio's command echoed through the forest as the Horse stepped into the elves' camp.

"_Elphie!_" shouted Glinda as she saw the precarious situation her lover was in. She hurriedly pulled against Frynda's grip on her waist, making the red woman let her go. The blonde jumped from the Horse's back and made a move towards Elphaba's sleeping form.

"I _said_—"

"_You!_" Olak screeched as he faced Adagio, his teeth bared aggressively. "We meet again, Horse."

Adagio flattened his ears, doing his best attempt to bare his teeth threateningly but only succeeded in amusing Olak. The black Horse tried not to whimper as the elf snickered at him.

Frynda then noticed the dagger in Olak's hand and her hand immediately went to the hilt on her belt. "My dagger!" she gasped.

_It must have fallen out of its sheath!_ she thought in despair.

Olak heard her and his eyes opened wide as he spotted the red woman. He raised the dagger threateningly at her as she dismounted Adagio and faced him.

The elf snarled as he realized the humans outnumbered him and Mantu. He glanced at his brother but the healer was staring at Frynda, his small frame quaking with fear.

Glinda then charged towards Elphaba, draping herself over her. Both Olak and Mantu jumped at the blonde's sudden movement.

Frynda watched as Olak gave up on threatening her and went for Glinda instead, seeing that she was the closer and more vulnerable target.

_Oh no!_ she thought, her heart sinking with dread.

Olak leapt on the unaware blonde, raising the dagger to thrust it into her back. Glinda screamed as she noticed the elf had jumped on her and she struggled against his weight.

"If I can't kill her, I have to kill you instead!" Olak shrieked and brought the dagger down with all his might.

Adagio gasped as he closed his eyes, waiting for the surefire scream the blonde would emit when the dagger hit its target. But he opened his eyes again to find Frynda had grabbed Olak from behind just in time, the elf writhing and spitting out curses under the red woman's strong grip.

"I won't let you kill Glinda!" Frynda yelled as Olak squirmed around, the red woman trying to avoid the dagger that he was swinging at her.

Glinda felt faint and her eyes watered as she realized the elf had been lifted off of her back. She whirled around to see Frynda wrestling with the elf, trying to pry the dagger out of his hands before he could harm her.

_Frynda,_ the blonde thought desperately as she watched the younger girl fight with the savage elf. She flinched as the elf managed to swipe at Frynda's face, his claws scoring deep into the red skin. Frynda let out a yell at the sudden pain and lunged for the dagger again, only succeeding in grasping air as Olak twisted his small, green hand just out of her reach.

_Frynda, you stupid girl! _Glinda thought angrily._ You're going to get yourself killed!_

She was about to make a move to help the younger woman when she noticed the elf that had been sitting a few lengths away from them start to get up, making her fall unto Elphaba all over again, her blue eyes opening wide in fear.

_Oh Oz! They're everywhere!_ she thought, clutching at the surprisingly still unconscious Elphaba. She looked down briefly at her love's face, praying she would somehow wake up and help Frynda out of the mess she got herself in.

_How in Oz can you sleep through all of this?!_ Glinda thought in exasperation and held on to Elphaba tightly, hating herself for knowing that was all she _can _do.

"Give that back!" Frynda screamed as Olak clawed at her and thrust the dagger dangerously close to her chest. The red girl's eyes watered with pain as the dagger sliced through her shoulder as the elf swung it back around, tearing through her shirt and exposing her red skin that soon swelled with blood.

_First my face, now this?!_ Frynda thought, feeling the hot blood start to run down her long sleeve shirt and unto her rapidly moving forearm. _That's it_. _I can't take this any longer! He's too strong for me to handle on my own!_

She was about to resort to using her magic, which had been the last thing on her mind due to her recent discovery with fire, when a sudden noise came to her aid. Olak was briefly startled by this, giving her all the opportunity to pry the dagger out of the crazed elf's claws.

The noise came from none other than Adagio, who had been watching the tops of the trees nervously for the rapidly approaching wildfire.

The Horse had seen flames starting to appear dangerously close and had neighed in his alarm. _If we didn't leave now, _he thought frantically, _the fire will surely kill us!_

Olak let out a piercing shriek as he realized the red woman had taken the dagger away from him. Frynda smiled as she brought the elf down to the ground, pinning him by his leather covered chest.

"Got you now," Frynda sneered at him.

"Mantu!" Olak screamed for his brother. "Mantu, help me!"

The other elf, however, had curled into a ball on the floor in his terror. He ignored his brother's cries for help as he trembled, his eyes staring blankly at nothing at all.

"We have to hurry!" Adagio shouted at them. "The fire's spreading fast now!"

Frynda didn't waste any time plunging the dagger into Olak's chest, the elf giving a gargled scream. She tried not to retch as she took the bloodstained blade out of Olak's bleeding wound, sheathing it back on the hilt on her belt. She had killed her second elf today.

Glinda heeded Adagio's warning and placed her arms under Elphaba's armpits, lifting her up from the ground. Her knees buckled under her love's deadweight but fortunately Frynda quickly came to help her, grabbing the green woman's legs as they both carried her to Adagio. The black Horse lowered himself to the ground as they draped the sleeping Elphaba over his back.

Olak clutched at his chest as his blood seeped into the ground around him. He let out a sputtered cough as he crawled towards his trembling brother. Mantu noticed he was coming and lifted himself off the ground; his mouth agape at the sight of his brother's dying form.

"You t-t-traitor," Olak spat at him, his voice shaking as he lay on the ground, dying. "You a-a-are a d-disgrace to the elven race."

"Get away from me, Olak!" Mantu yelled at him, for once feeling an advantage over his brother.

"Heal me, Mantu," Olak whispered to him. "Heal your dying brother."

"Never," Mantu replied, his voice shaking with conviction. He looked at the humans, who have climbed onto the Horse's back. Glinda helped the wounded Frynda up, wincing as she saw the blood that ran down the red woman's shoulder and scratched face. Mantu turned back to Olak.

"I will never heal a monster like you."

Olak snarled at him as he crawled closer towards him. Mantu backed away, closer to the humans.

"Hey, elf!" Frynda yelled at Mantu, causing the elf to turn around and face her. She was glaring at him through her amber eyes as she wrapped an arm around Glinda's waist and clutched at her shoulder wound with the other. The blonde herself was holding onto the unconscious Elphaba by her chest, her head buried in her lover's raven tresses.

"You saw what I did to your friend?" Frynda continued to threaten Mantu, prying his eyes away from Glinda and Elphaba. "Follow us and you'll meet the same fate!"

Without second to waste, Adagio galloped away, opposite the direction of the rapidly incoming flames.

Mantu stared after them, trembling again. He then felt his brother's claws on his shoulders as the bigger elf brought him down to the ground. He let out a gasp as he felt his brother's hot breath in his ear.

"You will live and die a traitor, Mantu. Come back to this forest again if you value your life as you did so little mine."

With a sigh, the bigger elf was dead. Mantu shrugged away the claws that still held him even in Olak's death. He then got up from the bloody ground, a little shaky from both his confusion and overwhelming fear.

Without looking back at his dead brother, the healer elf looked around the camp which was now going up in flames as the fire spread. He held his hand to his mouth as the smoke started to cloud his vision. He needed to find something. Something the humans had left behind.

He quickly found the satchel by the nest Elphaba had been lying in. As the flames started to ignite the nest in flames, Mantu snatched the satchel, clutching it close to his chest. The heat burned against his green skin as he backed away, glancing at the body of his former brother, his heart sinking as the dead elf's words echoed ominously in his ear,

_You will live and die a traitor. _

Without another second to spare, he ran out of the camp just as it erupted in flames, following the trail the humans and the Horse had left behind.


	30. Chapter 30

**Here's chapter 30, everyone~**

**It's a long one, so enjoy and keep those reviews a-comin'! :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 30

Bolynda sighed as Fiyero nipped at her neck, slowly reaching over and loosening the strap on her dress. She then finished unzipping his uniform coat, letting it fall to the floor. She clutched at his white undershirt as he sucked on her blue skin, biting her softly.

"Oh, Fiyero," she moaned heavily and shrugged off the dress, exposing her upper body.

Even through the dim light Fiyero could see Bolynda's small, pert breasts covered only by a black bra. He exhaled softly, feeling that familiar heat rush between his legs.

He knew this was wrong. He knew this wasn't the woman he loved.

But as Bolynda continued to seduce him, her hand wandering down his pants, he forced himself to abandon all thoughts and give himself to her.

After all, he hadn't had sex in a while.

***

Adagio continued to run, his breathing hard and shallow as he carried the women on his back through the forest. He heard the fire behind him fade away and he let out a faint neigh of relief. He had never seen a forest fire as bad as that one was.

Glinda held on to Elphaba tightly, so glad to have her back in her arms again. She breathed in her husky, woodsy scent, sighing softly.

Frynda kept one arm around Glinda and the other on her bleeding wound. She was steadily growing lightheaded from the loss of blood. She let out a whine of pain as Adagio leapt over a fallen log, jolting his passengers.

"Frynda!" Glinda's voice sounded concerned as she heard Frynda's soft, pitiful whines from behind her back. "How are those wounds?"

"Ah, I've had worse," the red woman replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She felt the strong stings on her face where the elf had swiped at her. Judging by the way the scratches throbbed with pain; she guessed the elf had left three, long slashes diagonally across her face.

_Those are gonna leave scars when they heal over,_ Frynda thought. _Damn it._

"I'm going to treat those for you after we get out of this Ozdamned forest," Glinda told her, not forgetting how Frynda had saved her from the elf and wanting to do something to repay her. Actually, she wanted to do _anything_ to get rid of this annoying guilt of the fact that she had done nothing to help the red woman as she battled with the elf earlier.

"There's no need," Frynda said, her voice low.

"Why not?" Glinda asked her, narrowing her eyes. _Please don't be like Elphie!_ she thought in despair. _Even if you _are_ her sister…_

"You need help, Frynda," the blonde stressed firmly. "Those wounds need to be treated."

"I told you already, Glinda. There's no need." Now that Frynda had discovered this strange healing connection she had with fire, all she had to do was start a small fire and heal herself with it. Looking over her shoulder quickly, she figured that first they had to get out of the bigger fire raging behind them. She had no doubt that if Adagio kept up the breakneck pace he was galloping at, they would outrun this fire unscathed.

She sighed in relief at this.

"Don't make me tell you again." Glinda sounded downright pissed off.

Frynda found a strange satisfaction in the blonde's concern for her, but right now it was getting downright annoying. How many times did she have to tell her that there was no need for medical attention when she could take care of it herself?

"You're going to bleed to death, Frynda."

The red woman continued to ignore her, swaying slightly at the steady rhythm Adagio's running was creating underneath her.

Glinda sighed in frustration at Frynda's ignorance and hugged Elphaba closer to her chest. She then carefully unwound an arm, using the other one to hold her unconscious green love securely. She placed a hand on Frynda's thigh.

Frynda felt Glinda's soft touch on her thigh and sparks flew in her head at the contact. She gulped, trying to focus on the blonde's next words.

"Frynda, listen to me. Your pride is worth nothing compared to your health. Let me treat your wound."

And that was that. Glinda took her hand away from Frynda's thigh and wrapped it around Elphaba again.

Frynda swallowed, trying to contain herself as she felt Adagio move underneath her, his steady pace a comforting lullaby to her soothe her convoluted feelings. She felt a strange throbbing between her legs and she wished she could press them together but the way she was riding the Horse wouldn't allow her to. She bit her lip as Glinda's scent of shampoo wafted to her nostrils.

She wished she could lean forward and bury her face in those blonde curls, losing herself in Glinda's sweet scent. She then shook her head, fighting those feelings away.

_This is wrong,_ she thought. _Totally wrong._

_I shouldn't feel this way for Glinda. She's Elphaba's girlfriend. _

But as Adagio continued to carry them through the forest, she found herself wanting Glinda more and more with each second she spent this close to the blonde.

_Snap out of it, Frynda!_ she scolded herself angrily. _You aren't a little girl anymore! Snap out of it!_

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She was glad Glinda couldn't see her or she would have thought Frynda was having some sort of fit.

_By the Named God,_ she thought, exasperated. _I want you so bad, Glinda, but I _can't_ want you._

The red woman glanced at the green hand hanging limply on Glinda's skirt. A pale hand soon covered it, squeezing it tightly. Frynda closed her eyes, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

_I never can._

***

Shell closed Elphaba's journal, still chuckling at the way his sister had attempted to coordinate living room sets and her eventual failure.

_Glinda told me I was a lost cause,_ he remembered reading, _and compared to Miss 'Every-Little-Thing-Must-Match', I definitely am. Just look at me. I have green skin. I clash with everything._

Shell looked at who he thought was Jaslyn sleeping against the carriage door, her mouth slightly agape as she snored.

They had been traveling for a few hours now and Shell was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic again. He hated these long carriage rides and always dreaded when he had to go to the Emerald City for political business.

Most of all, he _hated_ being the Governor of Munchkinland.

He only accepted the position because he was the only Thropp left in his line. His mother had been the Second Descending, but she had given up her title in order to marry and live with Frexspar in Munchkinland. Elphaba, who had no intention of governing a country from the very beginning, was Third Descending. When she had become public enemy number one, all chances of her taking the Governor position was obliterated. As the Fifth Descending, Shell was entitled to the line should the Fourth Descending suddenly die.

Unfortunately, the Fourth Descending was Munchkinland's former Governor, Nessarose, whose life ended so tragically by a falling house. When it had come time to choose a new Governor, Shell had no choice but to grin and bear it.

The Minister, Shell's appointed caretaker and diplomat, had tried to argue with Munchkinland's numerous government officials over the Heir Apparent's very young age through these last three years, but the officials would hear none of it. Naturally, his next step was to try and reason with the Emperor himself.

As Shell obviously saw last night as the Minister had come back huffing and puffing from the Emperor's palace, he had no success with the highest authority either. Therefore, Shell had no choice but to accept the title and grow into his title as the Eminent Thropp, Governor of Munchkinland.

The sixteen year old knew the Minister was only trying his best, but he had become quite cross with him when he realized he would have to grow up with his life planned out for him already. He was an adventurer by heart and had wanted to explore the furthest reaches of Oz when he was older, but his family name had squandered this dream into nothing more than faraway wishes and wistful fantasies.

The carriage jolted upwards and the ride started to get a bit bumpy, telling Shell that they had finally clambered back unto the Yellow Brick Road and were now on the direct route to Munchkinland. The Heir Apparent let out a sigh and rested his head against the plush headrest behind him.

_Here comes hell_, he thought grimly. He then glanced at the slumbering Melena, then at the leather-bound journal in his hands.

_If only Elphaba were here,_ he thought. _Things would be different._

He shook his head, not wanting these thoughts to come to his head, but they did anyway.

_If only she hadn't been so darned outspoken,_ he thought, _then she would have finished school at Shiz and come back to Munchkinland to live with us. If she hadn't become the Wicked Witch of the West, Nessarose wouldn't have died. If...if…_

His eyes opened with the idea that came into his mind.

_If she had chosen a different way of life, I wouldn't have had to be the Governor at sixteen. She would have taken the position and I would be out here, doing whatever I want. I wouldn't have to be dragged around by old farts who blather on and on about nothing I actually care about. _

Shell shook his head and shifted in his seat, his brows furrowing.

_No Shell, _he told himself._ You mustn't be selfish. You remember how Elphaba was when she was here with you. She was so sad and forlorn. Would she have been happy if she had to be the next Governor?_

The boy sighed as he answered his own question.

_No._

As he glanced at the journal again, he realized how happy Elphaba must be with Glinda, living in hiding in who-knows-where. This journal proved it to him with each sentence he had read. Elphaba's words had told him about times she had actually smiled at something, at times she laughed and even at times where she cried _because _she was laughing.

Shell had never dreamed Elphaba would find love in the blonde she had hated so much. Shell had found himself hating Glinda as she had become 'Glinda the Good', never knowing the bond the two women had forged between one another. He absolutely loathed the fact that she had been celebrating his sister's death. When Glinda herself had mysteriously died, he had found himself quietly rejoicing as the world around him grieved for the loss of their beloved idol.

He now felt guilty about his presumptuous glee at Glinda's 'death' when he learned that Elphaba was in love with the girl and happy being with her. It still couldn't quell the jealous flutter in his heart as he thought on those long three years that he had believed his green sister was dead.

_Why didn't she come to me three years ago?_ he thought. _Her own _brother_ nonetheless? Didn't she trust me enough with the fact that she was alive?_

Tears came to his eyes as he thought about this. He then quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand, sniffing softly.

_Stop this right now, Shell!_ he scolded himself. _She probably had her own reasons not to tell you!_ _Stop crying like a baby. Three years had been enough time for Elphaba to wait to tell you. And by Oz, it could have been_ fifteen_ years…hell, she couldn't have told you at all!_

Shell looked at Melena again, who started to rouse from her brief nap. The pale woman stretched her arms to the side, yawning.

_She has sent Jaslyn to tell you with this journal,_ Shell continued to tell himself, wanting to believe it was true and not something else entirely. _She's going to show you the way to Elphaba._ _You have to see your sister once and for all. You have to make sure she still loves you as much as you do._

He remembered 'Jaslyn' had told him she had no doubt Elphaba still cared for him, but the boy still needed to satisfy his need to see for himself.

_Jaslyn has to show me where she lives now_, Shell thought determinedly. _She's not going to leave without letting me see my sister, even _if_ she's in hiding._

The carriage then came to a stop. Melena scratched her head she looked at Shell; still not believing this handsome young man was her son.

"I think we're here," she told him and he turned his green gaze towards her. His eyes were full of a certain emotion she couldn't place.

Shell nodded towards her as the carriage door opened, confirming her guess. He scooted closer to the exit, glad to finally get out of this claustrophobic space.

The Minister looked up warily as he held the door open for Shell, then Melena. He stared at the pale woman as she stepped out of the carriage, stretching her sore muscles. He still didn't know why Shell had let her travel with them, but he was soon going to do something about it. He will not let a complete stranger just waltz into his charge's life as long as he was alive to stop it.

Melena surveyed the all-too-familiar palace the carriage had taken them to. It was Colwen Grounds, the place where she had been born and raised for nearly twenty years of her life. She had prayed that she would never have to step near this dreaded place again, but here she was. She frowned and rubbed the back of her neck, unwelcome memories flooding back to her mind from her childhood days.

"Well," Shell started as the Minister waved the carriage away, the driver once again taking his place at his seat. "This is home sweet home."

Melena smirked as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's quite fancy."

Shell shrugged. "Did you expect something less from the Governor of Munchkinland?"

"Not really," Melena admitted, already knowing more about Colwen Grounds than Shell knew himself.

The Minister watched this interaction with narrowed eyes. "Your Eminence," he said as the young boy turned his head towards him, "as your official caretaker, I have been specifically instructed to tell you to wait here for two guards to escort you to the front of palace."

Shell's face darkened. "Very well." He then stage-whispered to Melena, "I can't wait 'til I'm eighteen, then I don't have to be escorted around by this old fart anymore."

"I heard that," coughed the Minister.

Melena cast an amused glace at her son as he shrugged. "Hey, it's the truth."

The Minister rolled his eyes as he stepped closer to Melena. He abruptly grabbed her arm, causing her to jump in sheer surprise.

"I'm sorry, m'lady," he said to her, "but you will have to come with me."

Shell was clearly taken aback by his caretaker's rash behavior towards his guest. "Hey—"

Just then the two guards the Minister had mentioned earlier appeared by his side. "Your Eminence," both of them said simultaneously, tipping their hats.

Melena looked at Shell hopelessly as the Minister started to drag her away. She started to protest, but the man dramatically put a hand on his robe pocket and scratched it lightly, giving her a knowing glace in the process.

Melena gulped. She very well knew what was hidden there.

He gave her a warning glare as he whispered to her, "If you don't want nothing to happen to you, miss, I suggest you do not struggle against me. The Heir Apparent will not be distressed by your needless plight."

"Let Jaslyn go!" Shell called after them, stepping closer to the retreating duo. The guards next to him followed him, not sure what was going on. "She has my full permission to stay here with me!"

"I know, your Eminence," the Minister told him over his shoulder as he led Melena towards another, more secluded entrance to the palace. This special entryway was one that only guards and certain government officials use in times of necessity.

Shell could only watch as the Minister pulled his only chance to see Elphaba away from him. Oz knows when he will be able to see her again. He pressed Elphaba's journal closer to his chest as the guards next to him moved closer.

"But your safety is my number one priority right now," the Minister finished, yanking Melena forward as she hesitated.

Without another word, the man led the pale woman away as the two guards escorted the young Heir Apparent into his palace, a sad look on his face as they whisked him away inside.

***

Commander Rayne was furious.

Not only was he furious, he was also _nauseated_.

Who would even _consider_ a witch for the position of Magic Grand Vizier?

_Only our great Emperor!_ he thought sarcastically as he paced in his small office. He had watched the ceremony only a few minutes earlier and was thoroughly disgusted with his leader for his poor choice. He could only scowl as he saw the dark-skinned man stand next to that…that _blue _thing. What was her name…?

_Oh, it doesn't matter,_ Rayne thought bitterly. _The only thing that matters is she's an Ozdamned witch! I thought he had learned from previous experience about those vile demons!_

_She's probably in cohorts with the Wicked Witch of the West, _he told himself. _Now that the Emperor knows she's alive, she has summoned her evil demons to help her try to destroy Oz again._

Rayne pounded his fist against his desk in his frustration, rattling his numerous office supplies and papers from the sheer force of his blow. "She's bewitched our Emperor!" he hissed. "She probably used that damn blue demon to charm him somehow into giving her a position in the government and ultimately gain control over all of Oz!"

He then remembered how the crowd had thrown eggs at the trio in the balcony, his grimace quickly turning into a smile. "At least Oz still remembers the Witch and her wicked ways. I could only imagine how they would react if they found out the she is still alive."

Rayne paused for a moment, scratching his chin. "Hm, I wonder…"

Just then the door to his office opened and a woman stepped in. He recognized this as the woman who had spoken to the crowd first. Madame Morrible, the new Press Secretary for the Emperor.

The older woman strode into his office; surprisingly clean from her earlier ordeal with the eggs. She hurriedly walked up to Rayne, not caring if he had greeted her or not.

"I hear you are a very loyal man to the Emperor," Morrible told him, examining his uniform with her ever-scrutinizing gaze.

"I am," Rayne said, a little warily.

"It seems you have heard what he has done." Morrible had listened to Rayne fume from outside of his office and she had known this was the man she was looking for.

"Yes I have, ma'am," Rayne growled. "And I don't like it one bit."

"Me neither, commander," Morrible sympathized with him. "I still do not know why he has stooped so low as to invite a witch into the government of Oz."

Rayne raised a brow, surprised the very woman who had introduced the witch was now contradicting with the Emperor's decisions. "And you are telling me this why…?"

"I believe you are right about the Wicked Witch of the West, commander. She is alive."

"I knew that already. Go on."

"She is alive and she has plans to gain control over Oz through Bolynda."

Rayne whirled around and pounded the desk again. "I knew it!"

Then he furrowed his brows and turned back again to Morrible, a suspicious look on his face. "How do you know this?"

"She has confided this information to me while I was dressing her for the ceremony. I had to magically block myself for fear that she might bewitch me too. I believe the Emperor is under her spell." Morrible closed her eyes, hoping this lie was trying to convey was enough to convince the commander.

"We have to stop her!" Rayne exclaimed. "She is a threat to our Emperor!"

Morrible put a hand up, stopping him. "Hold it there, commander. I don't think now is a good time to surprise the witch just yet."

"And why not?" Rayne snarled, his hand resting on his belt where he kept his personal handgun. "We need to kill her before her evil could spread any further!"

"I understand your urgency, commander," Morrible stressed. "And as Press Secretary for the Great Oz himself I will not hamper your instinct to protect him, but follow me for just a moment. I have something to show you."

Rayne blinked. What was she going to show him? Before he could say anything the woman had already exited his office. He had no choice but to follow her, his hand still resting on his gun.

Morrible walked down the hall and up the small flight of stairs, already knowing what she was going to see. Her prophetic powers have never been more useful than her other talents, but she was grateful for them nevertheless. She had foreseen this happening and like always, she was using it to her advantage.

Rayne followed her warily up the stairs, wondering why she was leading him to the servant's part of the palace. He kept a few feet away from the woman, his military training telling him to trust no one, not even the new Press Secretary.

"Here we go, sir. Listen carefully."

Rayne stood next to her in front of an old maid's closet. He was about to open his mouth to ask what in Oz's name this closet had to do with anything when he heard a moan. A very _loud _moan.

Morrible watched the commander's face contort as he realized what she was showing him.

"Oh my Oz. They are having sex."

Morrible nodded.

Rayne gulped and scrambled for his gun.

The Press Secretary noticed this and hurriedly put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. She shook her head and pointed to the door with her index finger. The sounds were getting louder and Rayne couldn't help but feel a little aroused himself, but he had to focus on the task on hand if only Morrible would let him.

The older woman would not let these foolish feelings of arousal rise up within her as she led the commander away from the door before he could burst through and 'save' the Emperor.

"Sweet Oz, it sounds like she's eating him!" Rayne gasped. He then looked at Morrible, his blue-green eyes wide open in horror. "What if she _is_ eating him?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Morrible said. "It seems our Emperor is having a grande ole time in there with the witch. If you explode in there right now, how will he feel?"

"Grateful? Indebted? Appreciative?"

"No. He will feel _humiliated_, commander. This young woman had seduced him and like I had said before, he is under her spell. If we walk in there, she might turn on us and not to mention it will be a very…_very _embarrassing situation to walk in on."

Rayne pranced impatiently on his toes. "I want to get that witch away from him. Now."

"Soon enough. I happen to know that this witch had also worked her charms on the captain."

"Captain Avaric?" Rayne's voice shook with disbelief.

"Yes. All in the Wicked Witch's plan to get to the throne. As soon as she has all of our government officials poisoned with this blue witch's charm, she will strike. I have no doubt that you are next, commander."

The man gulped in fear. He knew he was the third-in-command after the Emperor and Captain Avaric and he suddenly felt the need to run away. He didn't want to be seduced by this vile blue creature.

"Tell me how to stop her," Rayne begged her. "Please."

Morrible couldn't suppress a small smile that came unto her lips. This was what she was waiting for. "We must get rid of the poison before it has a chance to spread."

"Then we must kill her!" Rayne said, this time taking out his gun to get ready to burst in through the closet door.

Morrible once again put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I told you this wasn't the right time for that. We must get rid of the afflicted before we destroy the affliction."

"What does that mean?" Rayne asked her. He was growing irritated that she was talking in riddles.

"We have to get rid of Fiyero and Avaric before we get rid of the witch," Morrible said, the Emperor's true name escaping from her lips accidentally.

"Get…_rid_ of them?" Rayne sounded absolutely horrified. "You don't mean…?"

"No, not_ kill_ them, you dolt." Morrible wondered then if _brainless _ran all throughout the Ozian government. If so, then she had a lot of work on her hands. "We will simply…un-bewitch them."

"How?"

Morrible smiled at him. "See, dearie, that's where _you _come in. The captain will have to be first to be un-bewitched since our Emperor is a bit busy now. I need you to get him to me in a way that will be totally inconspicuous, do you understand me?"

Rayne nodded, wanting to do anything to help rid Oz of this blue 'poison' as Morrible called her.

"He has to know _nothing_, for the witch's spell is a clever one and could sense when something's fishy. After we have cleansed Captain Avaric of the spell, we will have to work on the Emperor."

Sensing the commander's overwhelming anxiety, she added, chuckling, "but only one thing at a time, dearie."

"But what about the witch herself? She would surely know, would she?"

Morrible shook her head. "Leave the girl to me, commander. I know her wicked charms won't affect a female like me. My magic will keep her…for now."

"Then where do you want me to send the captain, ma'am?" Rayne asked her, his hands twitching. He wanted to get started before this witch's spell could get any worse.

"Send him to the Emperor's office," Morrible purred, wanting so badly to say 'my office', but she knew she couldn't just yet. She then put a hand on his shoulder, making him jump out of pure surprise. "You are doing Oz a great service, commander. You will be a hero for this."

He looked at her, not sure quite believing what he was hearing from the woman.

"As Press Secretary, I will strive to remind Oz time and time again about your selfless act of loyalty after all of this is said and done."

Rayne smiled at her before practically running down the hall and down the stairs. The older woman watched him go, a small smirk on her face.

"What a twit," she muttered under her breath.

_Perfect,_ she thought, rubbing her hands together. _Once I get Captain Avaric out of the way I will be able to reach Fiyero without any other opposition since I have this fool of a commander under my belt. Now, I will let the little kiddies finish their fun._

She laughed at her own humor. She then looked at the closet one more time and descended down the stairs, the crooked smile never leaving her face.


	31. Chapter 31

**School's officially here for me, so that means fewer and rather infrequent updates. **

**But never fear, I will still be busy writing this fabulous story ya'll like so much! =D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 31

Adagio slowed down to a slow canter, his breathing labored from his run. He had managed to escape through the thick of the forest and they were now at the outskirts were the trees grew a little thinner and sparser, giving way to the eventual grassland that the Zoian citizens call the Big Plain.

He felt the heavy weight on his back more than ever now due to his exhaustion. All the Horse wanted to do was collapse and sleep but he knew he had to get the women on his back to a safe and comfortable place to rest first.

The black Horse could help but give a neigh of relief when he reached a rather large clearing. It was sheltered mostly by the trees that grew around it, yet they were sparse enough to let the bright light of day shine through and warm the grass underneath Adagio's hooves.

Glinda saw the clearing they had come to and she patted the Horse's neck. "This is a good place to stop, Adagio. You have been running hard and need to rest."

The Horse was too tired to respond, so he just gave her a nod. He bent down low to the ground, allowing Glinda and Frynda to slip off his back. Together they lifted Elphaba and gently laid her next to Adagio, who had tucked his legs under him and rested his large head against the ground.

Glinda gently moved her love until her head was resting against Adagio's black-furred stomach like a pillow. She briefly looked at the Horse, a brow raised.

"Do you mind, Adagio?" she asked him, always being the polite girl she was raised to be.

"Not in the least," the Horse mumbled tiredly. Without another word he was asleep, the exhaustion he was feeling taking over him at last.

Frynda watched this and tried not to make any noise as she shuffled away from them, her hand clutching her still bleeding shoulder wound. The lightheadedness was getting to her as she wobbled over to the center of the clearing and kneeled to the ground. She needed to get a fire going before she could lose any more blood.

She hurriedly gathered whatever leaf litter she could find, which was not much. She made a haphazard pile, trying very hard for her hand not to shake as she mumbled a quick Ignition Spell, one of the first spells she had ever learned. Soon the leaf litter was ignited by a spark produced by her hands and she had a small fire going in no time.

Glinda's blue eyes opened wide as she smelled smoke coming from somewhere behind her. She whirled around, thinking the wildfire had somehow spread to this area, but all she saw was Frynda huddled over something. She gasped as she saw the bright flickers of flame by the woman's hands as she added more tinder to her fire.

_That girl is crazy!_ she thought. _She's going to start another wildfire!_

She was about to get up to stop Frynda when she noticed the girl had ripped the sleeves off her long-sleeve shirt and was placing her wounded shoulder dangerously close to the fire.

"_What the hell are you doing?_" Glinda yelled at her, running to her side. She tried to pull Frynda away from the fire using the girl's other, uninjured shoulder, but the red woman just stayed put, her brows furrowing in concentration.

"You're burning yourself!" Glinda hissed at her.

"Watch, will you?" Frynda snapped at her. She looked back at her wound, who was slowly mending itself with the touch of the flames, leaving only a thin scar when it was done.

Glinda watched this with her mouth slightly agape. She stared at Frynda as the younger girl pulled away from the fire, her wound completely healed.

"Fire…fire can heal you?" Glinda asked her, her voice shaky.

"I told you there was no need for medical attention," Frynda chuckled as she turned to the blonde, her bloody face smiling slightly despite the three long scratches that adorned it.

She swiped the blonde's hands away when she tried to touch the newly healed scar. "Don't touch it," she said quickly. "It's still hot enough to burn anyone who touches me."

Glinda reluctantly lowered her hand, still amazed by the red girl's power over fire. She watched as Frynda slowly lowered her head into the fire, pulling her hair back with a hand just in case her auburn-colored hair was not as resistant to fire as the rest of her was. She felt the wounds on her face slowly mend over and soon enough she could pull back from the flames. The pain was gone.

Frynda turned to look at Glinda, smiling at the face the blonde was giving her. It was a mixture of both amazement and wonder.

Glinda stared at the three thin scars the wounds left behind on her face, wanting so badly to reach up and touch it to see for herself that this was real. How could Frynda heal herself with fire?

"Do I look _that_ ugly?" Frynda asked her shyly, noticing the way Glinda was staring at her. She moved a strand of her hair away from her face, suddenly self-conscious. She knew the wounds would have left scars and wanted to look into a pond or something to see for herself.

"No, Frynda," Glinda breathed, still shaken. "You look…okay."

Frynda closed her eyes. She was expecting something more along the lines of 'beautiful' or 'breathtaking', but she figured she wouldn't let her childish fantasies cloud her rational side of thinking. "Are the scars really bad?" she asked the blonde.

Glinda shook her head. "You can barely tell they're there. Can I touch you now?"

"Of course you can," was what Frynda would have responded to that in a heartbeat, but she knew that couldn't happen now. So instead she muttered, "Not yet."

"Oh." Glinda looked disappointed. She wanted to make sure the wound was completely healed over on both her shoulder and face. "How come fire can heal you?" she asked her, sensing a change in subject was needed here.

"I don't know myself," Frynda sighed and shifted from a kneeling position to a more comfortable sitting position so she could talk to Glinda. "To tell you the truth, I didn't know this could happen until a few hours ago."

"Really?" Glinda had sat down also and crossed her legs, listening to Frynda intently. She figured Elphaba wouldn't awake for another few hours if the sleeping dose the elves gave her was this potent for her to sleep through an entire fire and horse ride.

"I have always known I could touch fire without getting harmed," Frynda said, playing with the end of her cloak nervously. "But I had never known it could heal me like this or…" She stopped, wondering if she should tell the blonde about the strange column of fire that erupted from her hands when she had been surrounded by the elves.

"Or what?" Glinda was clearly intrigued.

Frynda sighed and rubbed the scar her shoulder wound had left behind. "Or that I could manipulate fire."

"Manipulate fire?"

"Yeah…um. I don't know how quite to explain it."

Glinda then switched her gaze from the red girl to the small fire she created. Suddenly something occurred to her and she looked back to Frynda, a new, knowing glint in her blue eyes.

"You started that fire, didn't you? The one in the forest?"

Frynda closed her eyes. "Not…exactly. The elves did. They had flaming arrows and used them against me."

"Flaming arrows?" gasped Glinda, grateful that the elves had only used arrows for tranquilizing on both her and her Elphie. If they had used true arrows, who knows what could've happened…

She shuddered at the thought.

"One of them set a fire to a tree right next to me," Frynda continued, remembering the event clearly as day. "I had put my hands in there for a second and when I took them out…it…it was like all hell broke loose. In my hands."

Glinda furrowed her brows, trying to comprehend what the red girl was trying to tell her. "What do you mean in your hands?"

Frynda stared at her hands, as if she was expecting fire to come out of them again.

"My hands started to spout fire, like I accidentally turned on a fire faucet in my body. I was freaking out because the arrows were coming right at me, so I directed this flame-thing in my hands towards the arrows and they disintegrated right before my eyes."

"So you saved yourself using this fire?" Glinda asked her.

The younger girl nodded, her fists clenching and unclenching. "The elves were scared shitless, let me tell you."

Glinda giggled at Frynda's use of the word 'shitless'. "I bet."

"But so was I," Frynda told her quickly. "Who knew if I was going to start spontaneously combusting and explode everywhere? So I had clenched my fists like this and the fire just went out."

"It went out? Just like that?" Glinda was surprised and amazed at the same time.

"Yup." Frynda nodded. "And when the elves had run away I looked down at my hands."

She then unclenched her fists and showed Glinda the palms of her hands.

"And they were completely healed. I had received a nasty wound from an elf I had fought earlier on the palm of this hand and when all of that was over I was surprised to find only a thin scar in its place."

"I see it," Glinda breathed, looking at Frynda's right hand where she could see the scar the red girl had told her about. "That's amazing."

"Isn't it?" agreed Frynda.

"Can you show me?" Glinda suddenly asked her, her blue eyes glowing with wonder.

Frynda gulped, her heart thudding in her chest as the blonde looked at her so pleadingly. "I don't know if I should…"

"Oh, c'mon, Frynda," Glinda whined, scooting closer to the girl. "Please?"

Frynda felt as if she was about to faint with Glinda so close to her.

"Just a little flame," Glinda said, "so I could see for myself."

As Glinda leaned towards her, Frynda couldn't help but nod, a knot in her throat. She saw the blonde give a squeal of delight and clap her hands.

"Oh boy," Glinda giggled. "Are you okay enough to do it, Frynda? You don't have to indulge my every whim."

Frynda shook her head, wanting to hit herself for looking so stupid in front of this girl she found so terribly attractive. "It's okay, Glinda," she said. "Really. I'll do it for you."

Glinda gave her a smile that melted her heart right then and there. Frynda briefly wondered if it was possible that some part of her could melt at all.

_It seems like only if Glinda has anything to do with it,_ she thought to herself bitterly. _Why does she have to sit so close to me?_

But a part of her didn't want to blonde to go away at all. That part wanted her_ closer_.

Frynda had to smother that part of herself in order to concentrate on the task at hand. She cautiously placed an index finger into the small blaze, feeling its familiar tickle as it enveloped her finger.

Glinda gasped as she watched Frynda extract her finger from the fire. It was alight as if the finger was made of fire itself. Frynda allowed herself to spread the fire unto the index finger of her other hand and pretty soon all the tips of her fingers were on fire.

The red girl's amber eyes were glowing fiercely as she snuffed the flames from her fingers with a gentle blow to each of them before it could spread into the palms of her hands. She didn't_ want_ that to happen again.

Frynda then looked back at Glinda, who was staring at her hands with her mouth agape.

"Close your mouth, Glinda," Frynda chuckled. "You're going to catch flies."

Glinda did so, not taking her eyes off the younger girl's hands.

"I wish Elphie could see this," she whispered and Frynda turned her head away, not letting Glinda see her frown.

_What a way to ruin the moment_, thought Frynda bitterly as she extinguished the small fire with the end of her fire-resistant cloak. Soon ashes covered the ground where the fire once was.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Frynda asked Glinda, giving Elphaba's form a side-glance as she leaned back to rest on her elbows.

"Whatever the elves put her to sleep with is very strong," Glinda muttered, absentmindedly tracing a finger in the ashes Frynda's fire created. "She'll wake up, though."

"Eventually," said Frynda as she continued to stare at Elphaba. She couldn't believe this woman was her sister and then she wondered if Glinda knew. "Do you know about…?"

"About what?" Glinda murmured quietly, her finger staring to make patterns out of the ash.

"About her mother."

Glinda looked up at Frynda, something clicking in her mind. She remembered that Elphaba had told her that the 'Great Witch' was Melena, her mother. That meant Frynda was her sister…and Bolynda…and Zafryna…

"So you are her sister," Glinda whispered.

"_One_ of her sisters," Frynda corrected her gently. "It seems my mother had had quite a busy life before I was born."

Glinda closed her eyes, her anger with Melena rising. _She chose her other daughters in this land over Elphie, Nessa and Shell, _she thought acrimoniously. _That wasn't fair at all. I wonder what's going on in that sick woman's mind to leave her children like that. She disgusts me._

She then turned to Frynda as the younger girl rested her back against the ground, her amber eyes staring straight into the sky.

"Did Melena love you all?" Glinda asked her, knowing that was a very personal question. But she had to know nonetheless.

Frynda chuckled at her question. "Love is an understatement when it comes to Her Highness. She used to show us some affection when we were younger, but now she had grown distant from us. I still think she still cares for us though. She went after Bolynda, after all."

"Bolynda? What happened to Bolynda?"

Frynda turned her head to look at a sideways Glinda, narrowing her eyes. "You don't know…? Oh, right. You weren't there when it happened. Bolynda used a spell to go to Oz."

Glinda felt her stomach drop at the mention of her homeland. "Oz?"

"Yeah. Zafryna had been looking at some spell before Bolynda found it and used it."

"Don't tell me it was the Homing Spell?"

"That's the one."

Glinda let out a groan and wrapped her arms around her crossed legs. "Great. There goes our only chance of going back home," she growled angrily, staring at her knees.

"There is another way, you know," Frynda assured her. "There's the Hearth Spell--"

"Really?" Glinda's hope rose. "There is another way? Can you perform this Hearth Spell?"

Frynda shook her head. "No way. The only one who could perform this spell is Zafryna. Last time I saw her she wasn't in any mood to talk to me…no, to _anyone_ for that matter."

Glinda let out another groan and ran a hand through her blonde curls. "I guess our only hope is to go back."

"Yup," Frynda said. "That's what I'm here for."

"Elphie would hear none of this, you know," Glinda warned her.

"Then it's _your_ job to convince her. She's_ your_ girlfriend, isn't she?" It pained Frynda to say this so much she had to turn her head so Glinda couldn't see her eyes well up in tears.

"Very much so," replied Glinda, not noticing Frynda's sudden emotion. "She will hate me for agreeing with you."

"Not as much as she will hate me, I can assure you," chuckled Frynda, trying to cover her feelings but failing miserably.

Glinda sighed and glanced at Elphaba, her blue eyes softening just a bit as she saw her love sleeping so peacefully. Suddenly her stomach growled and she clutched at it, grimacing.

"Someone's hungry." Frynda slowly got up, dusting off her ripped shirt, dress and cloak.

"I'm not hungry," Glinda lied, lowering her eyes.

"Your stomach tells me otherwise," Frynda laughed. "Stay here while I get us something to eat. What does Elphaba like? If it's not berries and nuts, she's out of luck."

Glinda couldn't help but chuckle. "Thank you, Frynda."

"No problem."

Frynda was about to leave when she felt something touch her arm. The red girl turned around to come face-to-face with the blonde, making her already frantic heart skip a beat.

"I mean it, Frynda," Glinda whispered to her. "Thank you…for everything. Don't think I forgot how you saved me from that elf."

Frynda gave her an uneasy smile as she replied, "Don't mention it. Really."

"Because you saved me, we also saved Elphie and to me that makes you the greatest hero in my eyes. I swear, someday I'll make it up to you."

Frynda lowered her eyes. She knew the way she wanted the blonde to make it up to her was impossible. She just gave Glinda another smile before taking off her cloak and giving it to her.

"Why do you give me this?" Glinda asked her, taking the black cloak from the younger girl.

"Just in case you get cold. It's very warm."

Glinda raised a brow but she didn't say anything as Frynda gave her one last nod and disappeared into the trees. She was left there staring after the red girl, the cloak in her hands and her head full of questions.

The blonde then shook her head and shuffled to where Adagio and Elphaba slept. The Horse was in a deep slumber, his chest rising in falling in a steady rhythm. Elphaba, however, was getting a bit restless in her sleep. She shifted and twitched, the corners of her mouth pulling downwards into a grimace.

Glinda quickly kneeled next to her love and wrapped the cloak around her, kissing her cheek in process.

"Be still, my love," she whispered in her ear. "I'm here now."

Elphaba seemed to have heard Glinda in her sleep for she stopped moving and settled into Frynda's smoke-scented cloak, her mouth turning up into that little smile that made Glinda swoon.

The blonde then repositioned herself to sit next to her lover. She laid her head on the green woman's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her thin waist, feeling Adagio's fur warm against her back. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to succumb to the dark world of sleep.

***

Mantu ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, the satchel close to his chest. He had barely escaped the fire that had engulfed the entire elf camp. He had been running for a few minutes now and his breath started to turn ragged in his exhaustion.

"I…I have to keep moving," he mumbled, his legs feeling like deadweights as he forced them to carry him through the forest. He could still clearly see the trail the humans had taken for the Horse they were riding had broken through the vegetation in his desperate race to flee from the fire.

Mantu then stopped, his breath hitched and he clutched at his chest with his free hand, willing his racing heart to slow down. He was sure he had escaped the fire unscathed and he couldn't help but fall to his knees in relief.

He was then suddenly reminded of the sight of his older brother's body as it was engulfed by the raging inferno and he closed his bright green eyes.

_Maybe I really _am_ a traitor,_ he thought. He then shook his head.

_No, Mantu,_ he told himself. _He deserved to die. He was a monster._

Suddenly a sound sent chills up his spine.

"What was that?" he said aloud. He looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

_I could have sworn I heard a—_

Just then he felt a breeze and several sharp claws dig themselves on his shoulders. He screamed as he was being lifted off the ground by his shoulders, taking the satchel with him. He heard the call of the eagle again and he flailed around, trying to get the massive bird to drop him, but to no avail.

Eagles were an elf's worst enemy apart from humans. They usually don't hunt in the forest, but when they do, they have been known to take elf younglings and those who aren't careful enough to look over their shoulder to the sky.

Mantu struggled against the eagle's death grip on his shoulder. He felt blood started to pour from the black claws that had dug themselves into his green skin. Using his sharp clawed hands, he swiped upwards but only catching feathers.

The eagle let out a piercing cry as it carried Mantu over the treetops, its wings beating heavily against the air. The elf then managed to hook the claws of one hand into the eagle's soft underbelly, scoring deep into the bird's ribcage.

The eagle let out a loud squawk as it dropped Mantu, sending the elf crashing into the trees below it. Mantu braced himself as he crashed through the canopy, feeling branches hit his stomach and back as gravity sent him hurtling towards the ground.

With a '_thud_', the elf landed on the ground, sending a cloud of dust up into the air from the impact. Surprisingly, he was conscious. He had landed among a rather large pile of leaf litter, cushioning the impact.

He groaned as he looked upwards into the circling shadow of the frustrated eagle. He then gave another groan as he realized the satchel's strap had become raveled into one of the bird's bloody claws.

"Damn it!" Mantu cursed as he watched the eagle give up its search for its lost meal and fly off, taking the satchel with it. He then ripped up the leaf litter underneath him in his rage, sending all kinds of particles into the air around him.

"Damn it all!"


	32. Chapter 32

**As always, thank you so much for all of your reviews! That's what keeps this story going!**

**Enjoy this new chapter and after that, tell me what you think of it. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 32

"Oh my Oz."

"That was…"

"Amazing."

"It was just…wow."

Bolynda rested her head on Fiyero's shoulder, her whole body shaking from the sheer intensity of the climax Fiyero had just brought her to a few minutes before. He gently kissed her neck as her breathing slowed to its somewhat normal pace.

"Fiyero," she breathed. "Fiyero, let me ask you something."

"What?" he said, his voice muffled by the blue skin he was sucking on.

Bolynda chuckled as she pushed him away. "If you would just let me _talk_."

Fiyero looked at her, the lust still evident in his dark blue eyes. The blue tattoos on his skin seemed to glow under the dim light the closet provided.

"Who's Fae?"

Fiyero was caught off guard by her question. "H-huh?"

Bolynda narrowed her aqua blue eyes, crossing her arms in front of her breasts. "I'm not stupid, Fiyero. Or deaf. I heard your thoughts all throughout this and all you thought about was this Fae person. Who is it?"

Fiyero ran a hand through his messy black hair, wanting to kick himself for letting this thoughts run rampant, knowing Bolynda could read his mind. But it wasn't as if he could do two things at once during sex. He had only one focus and only one.

"She's…she was a girlfriend I had before."

"Oh? And she's all you could think about during sex and not the girl you're actually having sex _with_?"

"I'm sorry, Bolynda," Fiyero sighed, refusing to use her nickname even though she had insisted upon it. "I'm still not quite over her yet."

Bolynda suddenly pressed herself closer to him and kissed him with everything she had. He staggered backwards in his surprise, his back hitting the shelves behind him as Bolynda wrapped herself around his naked body again.

Once the blue girl allowed the man to breathe she whispered in his ear,

"What could I do to make you forget about her and start thinking about _me_?"

Fiyero gave her a smile.

"You could do that again."

And so Bolynda did. As Fiyero made love to her once again, he kept his thoughts in check, the green woman he was actually seeing underneath him melting into the shadows of his dreams once again.

He forced himself to think about Bolynda during the sex, but he knew his heart would never accept the lustful love from this young girl just as long as she wasn't his Fae. And she will never be.

Never.

***

The Minister dragged Melena through a trail that led around the Colwen Grounds palace. She realized this was a secret entrance she must have never known about during her years here. He was leading her towards the cemetery where the past Eminent Thropps were buried with their corresponding Descendings.

He led her through the gate and past several, large monuments. She barely had time to read any of them, but she knew one of them would be for her. Or whoever she was fifteen years ago.

Sure enough, she saw an epitaph with the words _'Melena Thropp'_ engraved on it, with the words _'she was a great mother and a great wife. We will miss her deeply'_ under it.

She coughed in order to stop herself from snorting aloud. _What a great mother and wife I was, _she thought sarcastically.

"C'mon," she heard the Minister growl as she started to slow down.

"I'm sorry, it's just my leg," she lied. "It slows me down a bit."

"Well, hurry up. I haven't got all day," the man said and continued to lead her through the cemetery.

After a few minutes of walking, Melena noticed a particular epitaph by a tree in full bloom. Peering closer, she could make out the words engraved on the solid marble. She then looked away, blinking tears away from her eyes as the Minister led her past the grave.

She had read '_Nessarose Thropp_' on the heading and that was all she needed to confirm that in fact her poor Nessa was indeed dead and gone, like Elphaba had said to her before.

_Oh my poor daughter,_ she thought sadly. _I'm so, so sorry…_

Just then they walked through the exit gate and unto a paved path that curved towards the palace's gray, exterior wall. She was just about to question where they were going when the Minister knocked on the wall.

_That must be the door,_ Melena thought grimly.

The door opened slightly and without another moment's hesitation, she was swept inside, the door closing shut behind her.

***

Zafryna stared at the doorman, her spherical looking glass rolling from one hand to the other. She kept doing this, back and forth. Back and forth. Occasionally she would stop and just stare at Simon, but then she would quickly resume.

The red-bearded man was shifting uncomfortably, very aware of the girl sitting on the floor just a few feet away from his chair by the palace's two massive front doors.

"This is going to be a long day, eh, Simon?" the yellow-skinned girl asked him, stroking the glass's smooth surface with one of her slender fingers.

Simon didn't reply. He avoided her emerald gaze just like he has for the last hour.

"I really _really _don't like you right now," growled Zafryna.

Simon then let out an enormous yawn and relaxed into his chair, scratching his uniform lazily and draping his hat over his eyes.

Zafryna snorted. She knew he was just doing that to annoy her.

"You know I'm going to stay here until you let me through," she warned him, absentmindedly spinning her glass on the floor next to her.

"Then it _is _going to be a long day, eh, Zafryna?" Simon chortled as he looked at her, a toothy grin on his face.

"Ugh. I loathe you."

"The feeling is mutual, my friend."

***

Adagio had been sleeping peacefully when he felt something hit his head. He let out an annoyed grunt as he opened his eyes, angry with whatever it was for ruining his very good dream of a beautiful mare he had met a couple of days earlier.

He lifted his head, looking around. He heard the sound of an eagle calling from somewhere close by and he flicked his ears forward, suddenly very curious. He then saw that Glinda and Elphaba were fast asleep against his flank and he didn't want to disturb them, so he just ignored the eagle, much to his disgruntlement.

He then spotted something brown in the corner of his eye and he stretched his neck towards the peculiar object, sniffing at it. He then retreated with a snort, his brown eyes opened wide in alarm as he recognized that putrid scent only_ too_ well.

_This smells like elves!_ he thought franticly. _Oh no!_

***

Elphaba woke up with a start, feeling something wet on her face. She opened her eyes and came face-to-face with a pair of big, black nostrils.

"Wake up, wake up, wake---oh! You're awake!"

"What the hell?" the green woman groaned, pushing the Horse's snout away from her face with one hand and rubbing her still-drowsy eyes with the other. She then noticed Glinda slumbering next to her and she smiled, wrapping her arms around her sleeping love. "Oh, Glinda," she breathed, burying her face into the golden curls.

"This is no time for lovey-dovey mush, woman!" Adagio neighed at her.

"Oh shut up," Elphaba mumbled into Glinda's hair.

"Weeelll," Adagio dragged out exaggeratedly. "I guess I could tell the elf to come back at another time when it is more convenient—"

Elphaba's head snapped up in alarm. "_Elf?_"

Adagio nodded, his long mane tossing up and down with each thrust of his big head. He then grabbed the satchel's long strap with his teeth and crinkled his nose at the strong scent that rushed into his nostrils.

Elphaba looked around, her heart starting to pound. She then realized there was nobody in the clearing but them. "Adagio, what are you---"

"Then explain this."

The satchel fell unto her lap and she looked at it for a second before grabbing it, jolting Glinda in the process.

"Elphie!" she squeaked.

"This is my satchel," Elphaba said as Glinda shook her head to get rid of the drowsiness, her blonde curls bouncing everywhere. "How did my satchel get here?"

"Beats me," Adagio muttered. "What worries me is that it smells like elf."

Elphaba was about to reply when Glinda smashed her mouth against hers, kissing her vigorously.

Adagio rolled his eyes but politely turned his head away, giving the girls their privacy even through they were only a few inches away from him.

"Mmph," Elphaba mumbled against the force of Glinda's lips. She then ended the kiss, giving a breathless gasp.

"Finally, some air," she sputtered.

"Oh, Elphie!" Glinda squealed as she hugged the woman she loved so tightly that Elphaba's green skin was taking a strange hue of purple from lack of oxygen.

"Damn, woman! Let her go already!" Adagio neighed at her. "She can't breathe!"

Glinda reluctantly let her Elphie go and the green witch gave another gasp as she took in a lungful of air.

"I-I'm happy to see you too!" Elphaba chuckled as she regained her breath. She then caressed her blonde love's face and gave her a proper kiss. "I'm guessing I've missed a lot."

"You don't know how much," Glinda whispered as she kissed Elphaba again.

Adagio cleared his throat when this kiss had lasted too long for his liking. Both of the women gave him an annoyed glare as they parted.

"Just a reminder that I'm still alive, you know," Adagio said wittily.

"Oh shush, you!" Glinda smacked his flank affectionately and leaned her back against him.

"So you've met my loyal steed," Elphaba said, petting Adagio's neck with one of her green hands.

"Steed?" the black Horse snorted. "How about _savior_?"

Elphaba seemed confused. "Savior?"

"Long story," Glinda told her. "Let's just say we're safe now."

"_Safe now?_" Elphaba suddenly got up, startling the blonde and the Horse. "What exactly _happened _here?"

Glinda reached out a hand to pull her back down to Adagio's side but Elphaba backed away from her grasp.

"And my legs," the green woman said as she looked down at her now completely healed legs. "They don't feel like they're on fire anymore. What happened, Glinda?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you." Glinda patted the flattened grass next to her where Elphaba had sat just a few moments before.

Adagio then looked around, realizing something was missing. "Hey, where did that red girl go?"

Glinda flinched. She had secretly hoped and prayed that Adagio would not mention Frynda. But then again, the Horse still did not know of their escape.

"Red girl?" Elphaba asked. "Don't tell me you mean—"

She then whipped her head towards Glinda, her brown eyes narrowed. "Tell me now, Glinda," she growled shakily. "Tell me now before I positively explode."

Glinda fixed her skirt nervously as she got up. "Well, to answer your question…yes, he means Frynda. She found us."

"_How?!_" exclaimed Elphaba.

Glinda shrugged. "I don't know. Don't get angry, Elphie—"

"How can I _not_!" the green woman shouted. "We're trying to get away from them and here they come to return us back to our prison!"

"Don't raise your voice like that at me, Elphaba," Glinda warned her.

"I don't fucking _care_! Where is she?!"

"Elphaba, calm down."

Adagio slowly rose from the grass as Elphaba moved towards the blonde.

"I asked you _where was she_?!" Elphaba was practically yelling at Glinda now. Suddenly there was a sharp smacking sound and Elphaba grabbed her throbbing cheek and backed away, hissing in pain.

Glinda raised her hand to slap Elphaba again. "I told you not to raise your voice at me," she told her shakily. "You're out of control, Elphaba. Now calm down and speak to me like a civilized person."

Elphaba closed her eyes and willed her breathing to slow down but her insides still twisted with her anger. She then looked up to stare at Glinda straight in the eyes.

"I believe I am civilized enough now," Elphaba growled to her, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

"Good," Glinda said as Adagio stood by her, the Horse not quite sure what was going on or why Glinda had slapped the woman she was just kissing earlier. Was it something he said…?

Elphaba took a shaky breath and regained her composure. "Now tell me what happened and why Frynda is here."

Glinda started from when she saw the arrow in her back to waking up and finding the elf Dalia on top of her. Once again she had to calm down her love when she started to swear under her breath. When she was ready to listen again, the blonde continued from the point when Adagio had found her pinned to the ground by her hands and feet.

When she was done, Elphaba stood there, her expression unreadable.

"So she saved your life?"

"Yes, Elphaba. Don't get angry with her when she gets back. Please."

"Let me guess..." Elphaba bent down to grab the cloak that had been discarded off to the side. She held it and looked up at Glinda once again. "This is hers?"

"Yes," Glinda agreed again.

Elphaba sniffed it and then put it around herself. The black cloak was a tad bit too short for her, but effective nonetheless.

"Elphie, what are you doing?" Glinda asked her, stepping forward to come face-to-face with the green woman.

"We need to get out of here."

Glinda exchanged a look with Adagio then put her hand on her love's shoulder. "Elphaba, Frynda told me the only way to get back to Oz is through the Hearth Spell."

Elphaba slung the satchel over her shoulder as she looked at the blonde, a brow raised.

"She told me the only one who could perform it successfully is Zafryna. That means we have to go back, Elphie."

"Who says I can't perform this Hearth Spell also?" Elphaba said. She tapped the leather satchel with a finger. "I've got the Grimmerie right here."

"But Elphie,"

"Sorry, Glinda, but I can't go back there. I don't want to see _her_ again."

Glinda closed her eyes, knowing Elphaba was talking about her mother. "She's not there, Elphie. Frynda told me she went to search for Bolynda after she had sent herself to Oz."

"She lies," Elphaba said gruffly and patted Adagio's snout. "Are you coming with me, Adagio?"

"Elphaba, listen to me," Glinda hissed, grabbing her green love's shoulder and whirling around so she faced her once again. "Frynda was not lying to me. Melena is not in that palace anymore."

"And how would you know this, Glinda?" Elphaba asked her, brushing off the blonde's arm with a swift swipe of her green hand. "If she's anything like her mother, she lies. She's all lies. _They're_ all lies. My whole_ life_ is made up of lies."

Without another word, she whirled around, the cape billowing behind her as she stalked away from the blonde and the Horse.

Glinda sighed and looked at Adagio forlornly.

"Is she normally like this?" the Horse asked her, his head tilted to the side curiously.

"Pretty much," muttered Glinda. "We better go after her, unless you have something else--"

"Nah." Adagio shook his head. "I'm sticking with you guys from now on. It's not like I have anything better to do."

Glinda giggled and patted his nose. "Welcome to this strange twosome—now threesome—group. I just wished Elphie could give you a proper reception too."

"In the short time I have known that green woman I would expect nothing more than a 'hullo'," the Horse's voice dropped an octave in his interpretation of Elphaba and Glinda giggled with amusement.

"Let's go then, big guy," Glinda said. "Last time I let Elphie walk away from me like that…well, it didn't end too well."

Adagio nodded and started to lead the way, using his sensitive nose to sniff out where Elphaba went. Soon enough he got a whiff and started to follow it, Glinda following shortly behind.

She glanced over her shoulder at the clearing one last time, her blue eyes brimming with sadness.

"I'm sorry, Frynda."

Without another word she followed the black Horse into the forest.


	33. Chapter 33

**Enjoy this new chapter, my fellow Wicked fans~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 33

Captain Avaric had been in the Throne Room when he heard the door open and saw Commander Rayne rush up to him, a flustered look on his face.

"Why, commander--" the blonde man started.

"Captain Avaric," the commander spoke, interrupting him. "His Ozness requests your presence in his office! It is of great urgency!"

The captain narrowed his blue eyes, wondering if Fiyero was finally willing to talk to him about what happened outside on the balcony. He regarded Rayne carefully as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And why has he sent you to fetch me? Why couldn't he come himself?"

Rayne gave him a wary glance as he replied, "Sir, I do not know. He just told me to fetch you right away."

"Is this regarding this new Magic Grand Vizier?"

"Again, sir, I do not know. He did not disclose that information to me."

Avaric sighed and nodded. "Tell him I am on my way."

Rayne gave him a salute and left, a small smile on his lips as he quickly exited the Throne Room.

Avaric watched him leave, his shoulders sagging.

"Oh, Fiyero, my friend," he whispered to himself. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"

Without another word he left, closing the door behind him.

***

Morrible sat in Fiyero's desk, drumming her long fingernails against the dark brown wood. She was impatient. Rayne should've been here two minutes ago.

Suddenly the door creaked open and the commander's head poked inside, blue-green eyes focusing straight at Morrible.

"He's coming now," Rayne told her.

"What did you tell him?"

"That the Emperor needed to talk to him about something urgent."

"Did he ask any questions?"

Rayne looked thoughtful. "Just why his Ozness wasn't coming to get him himself."

"And you told him…"

"That I didn't know."

Morrible rolled her eyes. "Very original."

Rayne looked uncomfortable as the woman gave him the once-over.

"You can go now," Morrible told him and he nodded, disappearing out the door. Just a few seconds later there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Morrible had used her best male voice, but it had sounded like someone with a bad cold. She watched as Avaric stepped inside the room.

"Fiyero, I—Morrible?"

Morrible secretly locked the door behind him with a small enchantment and a flick of her wrist. Avaric noticed this and whirled around, pulling at the locked door, trying in vain to pry it open.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, dearie," Morrible clucked. "It's magically locked and therefore impossible to open by hand."

"Let me go, woman!" Avaric snarled at her, giving up on the door and advancing towards her.

She backed away, raising her hands in front of her in a submissive pose. "Now, now, captain. Is that any way to treat the very woman who gave you your education? Or did you forget the way I let you 'pass' your entrance exam to Shiz?"

"I've already repaid you by recommending Fiyero to you, Morrible!" Avaric told her angrily. "What else do you want from me?"

"Nothing much, just your time…"

She then snapped her fingers and Avaric suddenly felt something hit the back of his head and he collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

"And your nonexistence."

With one hand, Morrible expertly caught the book that had delivered the blow to his head. She then ended the Levitation Spell she had used with an unintelligible word.

She hurriedly went over to the desk, placed the book on top of it and opened one of the side drawers, pulling out a bottle she had hidden in there before Avaric had stepped into the room. She uncorked the top with one of her long fingernails and held it away from her nose, for one whiff of the extremely potent content could kill a human.

And that was exactly what she intended to do.

She bent down low to the ground and gingerly held the rim of the glass bottle under Avaric's nose, letting the toxic fumes waft into his nostrils. The man let out a cough and he started to convulse, his legs and arms flailing this way and that.

Morrible swiftly corked the bottle again and moved furniture away from Avaric's thrashing limbs, careful so no one would suspect a murder had been committed in the Emperor's office and even less so by the new Press Secretary.

Morrible watched in wicked satisfaction as Avaric's life slowly ebbed away, the man's blue eyes glazing over as the poison seeped into his lungs. It was destroying his vital organs, causing them to shrivel and shut down. His skin started to turn a blotchy purple as his arms feebly gave a few, last twitches.

A few seconds later, the captain was dead.

Morrible smiled and put away the poison back into the desk drawer, saving it for future use. She then turned to Avaric's body and put her hands on her hips.

"We can't have you just lying there, now can we?" she snickered to herself and placed her hands over the captain's uniformed body and moved him around, looking as if he had fell on his own accord. She then noticed there was a blood stain where the dead captain had hit his head a little too hard during his convulsions.

Morrible quickly wiped this away with the sleeve of her red dress, the blood camouflaging perfectly with the fabric. She smiled as she got up from the floor, fixing the hem of her dress to appear as if nothing has happened.

"Now for the next part of my plan," she said to herself, allowing a crooked smile to appear on her face before a frown quickly replaced it, sobs emitting from her mouth.

"He died so young," she mumbled, tears falling down her face as she pressed a red button on the Emperor's desk, sounding the alarm.

***

Frynda smiled as she carried the two little bags she made from her ripped sleeves, jiggling the generous amount of berries and nuts she had managed to scavenge in the forest around her.

As she walked closer to the clearing, she remembered the smile Glinda had given her when she told her she was her hero. She blushed when she thought of the ways the blonde could make it up to her, but knew that was just her young hormones running rampant. She knew she couldn't have Glinda the way she wanted…not as long as Elphaba was her girlfriend.

And that meant not for a long…_long _time. She then switched the position of the small bags from over her shoulder to into her arms, carrying them like a baby. _She'll be so happy when I give these to her, _she thought, very proud of herself._ It took me a while, but it sure was worth the effort. I have all sorts of treats in here for them…well, whatever edible things I could find, anyways._

She looked at the makeshift bags in her arms and silently counted the lumps of the nuts and berries she saw against the black fabric. "There's enough for me, Elphaba, Adagio and—"

The bags dropped to the ground as she looked up and realized there was no one there to greet her in the clearing.

"—Glinda."

She stepped over the scattered items as she looked around the empty clearing, her heart sinking.

"Glinda? Elphaba? Where are you guys?"

She realized with a sigh that they had left her while she was gone. The red girl let out a frustrated yell and stomped at the ground, angry with herself for being so naïve and leaving them alone.

_Elphaba must have woken up_, she thought grimly. _She must have taken Glinda and Adagio with her. She must still think I'm the enemy here. Why does she have to be so _stupid?

_She's my sister, alright,_ Frynda thought bitterly. _We are not too far off the stupid scale. It was my fault why I got into this mess in the first place. I should've listened to my sister and stayed with her in the palace._

Before she could finish her thoughts, she heard something snap somewhere in the trees on the other side of the clearing. Instinctively her hand flew to her dagger, taking a defensive position. She cautiously stepped forward, her amber eyes narrowed as she watched a figure stumble into the clearing.

With a gasp, she realized it was an elf. She took her dagger out and pointed it at the creature, not afraid to use it. She had already killed two elves with it and she was ready to add another if she had to.

"Stay away from me!" she shouted at it. "I've already killed two of you!"

She then realized that the elves might have taken Elphaba and Glinda again and she let out a feral-like snarl. "What have you done with them?! Tell me!!"

"Peace, girl!" the elf coughed, sounding like he had been running. "I come in peace! No harm! Please!"

"Peace my ass!" Frynda had a hard time believing this after all she's been through with the green creatures. She stepped closer and she recognized this elf as the one she had threatened before she had escaped the fire with Adagio and the rest of the women.

"Are you deaf or something?!" she hissed at him. She waved the dagger in front of him, watching his bright green eyes follow the sharp weapon. "If I were you, I would take my threats seriously!"

Mantu stared at Frynda, a knot in his throat as he backed away. He remembered what his brother had told him about the red woman and he started to tremble, fear taking hold of him once again.

Frynda watched the elf cower before her, claws clutching at his leather vest as he crouched. He closed his eyes, afraid to watch as she killed him using her accursed blade. But the red girl did no such thing. She just stood there, staring at the elf, her head cocked to the side.

"Why aren't you running away?" she asked. "Haven't you all learned your lesson?"

"I have nowhere to run to," Mantu whispered. "Kill me now, human. Kill me now and get it over with."

Frynda looked at him, then at the dagger in her hand. Would she kill him in cold blood? Was she _that _hardened already? She lowered the dagger, shaking her head. She needed some answers first.

Mantu watched in amazement as the red girl lowered the dagger and started to speak,

"Tell me where you have taken my friends. Tell me before I change my mind."

Mantu dared to stand up and face the woman, his body still shaking violently as Frynda towered over him, amber eyes boring straight into his green ones.

"I have no idea where your friends are, Red One," the elf said shakily. "I am no longer part of the elven race. They have exiled me."

Frynda crossed her arms, not sure whether she should believe the little green elf or not. This one seemed different than the other elf she had fought earlier. _He's not attacking me or anything,_ she thought. _That's really weird._

"Why did you follow us, elf?" she asked him, figuring that the elves couldn't have possibly captured Elphaba and Glinda again. They have left on their own accord. This hurt her deeply, but she shoved her feeling for another time. She had to deal with this elf first.

"I did not know what else to do," Mantu said in his broken speech. "I had to return something to humans. Something an eagle took from me."

"What was it?" Frynda was curious.

"A bag Green One had. A heavy bag with a book in it."

Frynda furrowed her brows. _Book,_ she thought. _What book…?_

She then gasped as she realized Elphaba had taken the Grimmerie with her when she had left the palace. And the elf said an eagle took it from her. She needed to get it back. She had no doubt Elphaba would be after it too.

"Was it an Eagle?" she asked him.

"I do not know, Red One."

Frynda slowly sheathed the dagger into the hilt on her belt, realizing this elf truly meant her no harm. She needed to get to the Animal Village before Elphaba and Glinda did. But then she wanted to hit herself as she realized they had a Horse to ride on and she had nothing but her own two legs. They would already be there on Adagio's back before she even made it out of this forest.

"Red One…?"

Frynda turned back to elf, a new glint of determination in her amber eyes. If anyone knew their way around the forest, it would be an elf. "My name is Frynda, not Red One."

Mantu smiled as he realized the human had used a friendly tone towards him. There was no trace of venom or anger in it, just friendliness.

"Mantu," the elf introduced himself, giving a little bow. "I would like to travel with you, Frynda; if that is possible."

Frynda smiled at him, her white teeth contrasting against her red skin. "You just read my mind, Mantu."

The elf felt his heart give a leap. He had always had a certain respect and admiration for humans unlike his brethren, who had sworn to themselves that the humans were their enemies and enemies alone. Maybe Mantu could form some sort of friendly relationship with Frynda. Maybe he finally had a chance to belong somewhere where he wouldn't be hated for his beliefs...

"I have nowhere else to go," Mantu told her as if to secure his place at Frynda's side as she walked into the forest with him following closely behind.

"I gathered that by the way you're clinging on to me, elf," Frynda chuckled. "Lead the way, please. I'm as blind as a bat in this forest."

"Of course," Mantu said and ran a bit to get in front of Frynda. He looked over his shoulder to make sure the red woman was still following him.

"I'm still here," Frynda laughed, giving him a small wave. "Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Good," breathed Mantu. "I will lead you out of this forest in no time, Frynda."

Frynda nodded; glad she had found her very own guide. What had surprised her was that it was an elf, but a friendly elf nonetheless. There was something about Mantu that made her lower her dagger and trust him. It was his innocence and his ability to blindly trust her as well, even after watching her kill his own brother right before his eyes.

What she didn't know was that Mantu, in fact,_ didn't_ forget she had slain his brother earlier. He was still a bit wary of the red-skinned human following him, but if he was determined to make peace with the humans, Frynda would be the first one he would have to befriend. And he wasn't going to let his cowardly fears take over him. Not again.

"I was training to be a healer with my brothers," Mantu told her after a few minutes of silent walking. He had looked over his shoulder a couple of times, making sure Frynda kept to her word and stayed where she was. Every time he looked back she would give him a little wave, letting him know she was still there.

"A healer?" Frynda's voice sounded distant, as if she wasn't really listening to him but responding nonetheless.

"Yes. I healed the Green One's legs before you and the yellow-haired girl came to take her away."

Frynda nearly stopped when she heard the elf say this. "You…you healed Elphaba? What was wrong with her?"

"She had very bad legs," Mantu said, figuring Elphaba was the strange green woman's name. "They were poisoned."

Frynda furrowed her brows and shook her head, remembering her mother had attacked the green woman earlier in the day. She must have poisoned Elphaba's legs with her nails, she thought grimly, looking at her own, short fingernails. Melena had a strange poison in her nails that when she would scratch someone while having an 'episode', venom would seep out like a snake's fangs would. It was a paralyzing poison and nothing more, but it could slowly debilitate the infected muscle if left for too long.

_That must have been Elphaba's case,_ she thought angrily. _Why didn't I know this sooner? We could've given her the antidote—_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mantu's high-pitched voice again.

"Frynda? You're quiet."

"I'm still here, Mantu. I'm just thinking."

"Thinking about Green One? Elphaba?"

"Yeah."

"Thinking about yellow-haired girl too?"

Frynda almost tripped over herself as the elf mentioned Glinda. "W-what?"

"The yellow-haired girl. The girl that screams really loud."

"Oh, Glinda? Um, no. I haven't thought about her yet."

_Liar,_ Frynda thought to herself. _You think about Glinda all the time._ She then looked at Mantu's small, leather-covered back, figuring the elf didn't need to know her hidden feelings for the blonde when he didn't even know her himself.

"You saved her from Olak. You must be thinking about her."

Frynda blushed, remembering the way she had selflessly risked her life to save Glinda from the savage elf she now knew as Olak. "Yeah, okay. I think about her a little."

"My brother was an evil monster. Thank you."

Frynda couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"

"Thank you for teaching my brother a lesson. All he saw was blood, blood and more blood. Thank you for giving him a taste of it himself."

Frynda pursed her lips as she wondered if this elf was in his right mind. "I'm not sure if I should say 'you're welcome'. Why did you hate your own brother?"

"We are all brothers in my clan. Olak was leader after Tryfek, our father, was killed. All Olak wanted was to kill, kill, and kill. Our brothers followed him blindly, but I knew better. Since I was training to be healer, I didn't have to fight. But I watched him as he would come in day after day bloody and wounded. He would gloat about his victories and the Animals he would slay using his invention of flaming arrows."

Frynda gulped. "Animals?"

"Both Animals and animals. I would heal Olak and the others, but I hated it. I wished all this unnecessary bloodshed would end. He would call me weak because I was just a healer and I didn't know better."

"But you did," Frynda whispered.

Mantu nodded, glad Frynda understood his point of view. This was something he had never experienced in his short life: the great feeling to know that someone actually listened and _agreed _with him.

"Is that why you didn't fight me when I had Olak in a death grip?" Frynda asked him.

"Yes. I knew it was time to stand up for myself. He had begged me to heal him, but I said no."

"I'm glad you refused!" Frynda chuckled. "Then it would have been a lot harder to kill him, that's for sure!"

Mantu couldn't help but chuckle along with the red-skinned girl. He was feeling more comfortable around her presence and he was no longer afraid of her fire powers or her dagger. In fact, he felt _safer _with her than he ever did with his brothers.

"You know, Mantu," Frynda said, smiling, "you're okay. For an elf."

Mantu couldn't help but smile as they reached closer to edge of the forest. "And you're not bad yourself, Frynda. For a human."


	34. Chapter 34

**I want to say thanks to my fervent reviewers…you know who you are! :D**

**This chapter is dedicated to you all. You deserve it! **

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 34

Elphaba smirked when she heard the _clop-clop_ of Adagio's hooves and the soft footsteps of her love behind her.

"I knew you wouldn't let me go ahead like that, Glinda."

"Are you kidding me?" the blonde snorted, running up and wrapping her arm around Elphaba's, lacing her fingers through her lover's hand. "I'm not leaving you by yourself again. Not after what happened last time."

Elphaba chuckled and sighed. "It was great while it lasted. It was a lot quieter, you know."

"Hey!" Glinda giggled and smacked her lover's shoulder playfully. She then rested her head against it, sighing happily.

"But there's no other sound I'd rather hear than the sound of your precious voice, my love," Elphaba told her and kissed the top of her head.

Glinda let out a blissful sigh at her green love's true words. "Aw, that was_ so_ romantic, Elphie. I love you!"

"I feel the same way, my sweet."

Adagio watched this interaction and rolled his eyes. He cleared his throat, reminding the couple that he was still there.

Elphaba looked back and smiled at who she saw. She reached over and patted the Horse's snout. "You just can't get enough of me, can you, Adagio?"

The black Horse snorted as Glinda giggled. "See, Glinda? I told you she would only think of herself."

Elphaba gave him a smirk. "I know. I do happen to have a big ego, you know."

Glinda outright laughed at Elphaba's words. She knew her love had anything_ but_ an ego. She poked her in the ribs with her elbow. "Oh my, _someone's_ in quite a mood today."

"I can't help it," Elphaba said. "I believe your effervescence is contagious, my dear."

The blonde giggled.

"What's effervescence?" Adagio asked, his head cocked to the side.

"She's talking about my bubbliness," Glinda told the Horse, still laughing.

"Bubbliness? Now what's _that?_" Adagio was downright confused.

Elphaba shook her head as Glinda let out another series of giggles. "Just let it pass," the green woman told the Horse. "She'll calm down…eventually."

Glinda didn't even try to defend herself, she was laughing too much.

"Is she normally like this?" Adagio asked, his big brown eyes staring wide-eyed at the blonde.

Glinda exploded into a fresh bout of mirth at this, remembering that not too long ago he had asked the same question to her about Elphaba.

"Pretty much," Elphaba responded and Glinda had to hold her stomach in order to keep breathing as she laughed out loud.

"I think we should stop talking or she's going to laugh herself to death," Adagio said, eyeing Glinda as she had to stop walking, leaning into Elphaba's chest as she continued to guffaw, her tears soaking into the woman's black shirt.

Elphaba just nodded to Adagio as she patted her lover's back, letting her bout of laughter slowly subside into mere giggles.

"O-Oh, El-Elphie," Glinda giggled, wiping tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand. "That was hilarious."

"We could tell," Adagio murmured and Elphaba cut him a glare as Glinda started to giggle all over again.

"Just shut up," muttered Elphaba to the Horse as Glinda wiped away fresh tears from her eyes.

"Aw, Elphie, don't be mean," Glinda told her. "He's funny."

Adagio just stared at her, trying to look as serious as a Horse like him could manage. It even got Elphaba chuckling as his brows knitted together in concentration, making him look like he was trying to make the trees in front of him burst in flames at the sheer intensity of his brown gaze.

"What's so damn funny?" he grumbled as both Elphaba and Glinda doubled over in laughter.

"Just st-stop trying, Gio," Elphaba sputtered.

"Gio?" Adagio asked, the 'geo'-sound rolling off his tongue easily. "Did you just call me Gio?"

Elphaba wiped away tears from her eyes with the end of Frynda's cloak before they could burn her sensitive skin. Glinda leaned against her once again as she kept on laughing.

"I'm sorry, Adagio. It just came out," Elphaba apologized, still recovering from her rare bout of mirth.

The Horse just stared at her. "I like it."

"Gio!" Glinda giggled. "Did you hear that, Elphie? We can call him Gio!"

Adagio then studied Elphaba, a twinkle in his big brown eyes. "Then I can call you Elphie."

"Hell no."

Glinda howled at this, actually going on the floor and hitting the ground with her fist, laughing her pretty little head off. Elphaba watched her with a frown on her face.

"Oh, Elphie! Pwetty pwease?" Adagio mimicked Glinda, giving a little prance on his hooves.

"I swear, if you keep that up you're going to kill her," Elphaba growled at him as she helped Glinda up from the forest floor, supporting the blonde's weight as she got into an upright position again.

"Okay, I'll be good, Elphie," Adagio said, batting his long eyelashes at the green woman, who rolled her eyes.

"Stop it, Adagio."

"Aw, but it isn't fair. It's not my fault that Glinda finds me such a hoot."

Glinda let go of Elphaba and wrapped her arms around Adagio's long neck, laughing into his fur. "Oh my Oz, Gio! You just made my day!" she said.

"Don't linger for too long, my dear," the Horse whispered in her ear. "Your girlfriend's growing green with envy."

This started another whole round of mirth bubbling up from the blonde and Elphaba had no choice but to wait it out, secretly happy that she and Adagio had made her laugh like this. It seemed like a long time since she had seen her blonde love like this.

She smiled as Glinda hugged Adagio, the Horse's long, black tail swishing happily as he gave a few chuckles of his own.

_If we weren't for the fact that we are on the run from my mother,_ Elphaba thought, _I could say that this is one of the happiest moments of my life._

Glinda patted Adagio's nose and looked back at Elphaba, a brilliant smile on her face that made the green woman fall in love with her all over again.

_Yes,_ Elphaba thought as she walked over and stood by Adagio, her love giving her a quick peck on the cheek as the green woman ran her hands through the Horse's black fur.

_This is definitely one of the happiest moments of my life._

***

Fiyero closed the closet door behind him as Bolynda fixed the strap on her dress. She turned around to face him, twirling in her navy blue dress as she modeled for him.

"What do I look like?"

"Like you just had sex."

Bolynda slapped his arm and laughed. "I'm serious, Fiyero."

"I'm serious, Bolynda!" Fiyero laughed. He hadn't felt this good in a long time. "You look absolutely stunning if that's what you want me to say."

Bolynda blushed and kissed him. When they parted she whispered in his ear, "How did you know?"

"I could read minds," Fiyero told her, waving his fingers in a 'spooky' effect that made her giggle.

"Hey, I thought that was my job!" Bolynda giggled. She then brought her hands to his cheeks and kissed him vigorously, still feeling the afterglow of their lovemaking.

Fiyero ended the kiss as he pushed her away. "We can't keep away too long, Bolynda. Morrible will start to miss us."

Bolynda frowned as she thought of the older woman. She looked down at the ground at her feet, her brows knitted together.

"What's wrong?" Fiyero asked her, using a dark-skinned hand to tilt her head back up. She looked into his blue pools of eyes and immediately got lost in them.

"N-nothing," she lied, leaning into the hand Fiyero held to her blue cheek.

"Is this about what happened out there in the balcony?" the Emperor asked her, his mouth curving to a frown.

Bolynda couldn't help but give a small nod. "I didn't know the people were so racist here," she said sadly. "Back where I come from, skin color doesn't even matter."

"Really? Where do you come from, then? Racism exists all throughout Oz. Is there someplace I don't know of?"

Bolynda blinked, realizing that she had given away far too much to him far too early in the relationship. She just shrugged and fingered the end of her black, cropped hair absentmindedly.

"Bolynda," Fiyero said, looking deep into her aqua blue eyes so much that it made her knees go weak from the sheer intensity. "Bolynda, are you even_ from_ Oz?"

***

Melena couldn't stop the Minister as he dragged her through several halls; all painted a dreary industrial gray.

"May I ask where you are taking me?" she asked him forcefully, talking for the first time since the cemetery.

"Just a few questions, miss," the Minister responded without even looking back at her. "Just some necessary precautions."

Melena rolled her gray eyes, very aware that the staff at Colwen Grounds are known for not being very straightforward. Before she could say anything, the Minister pulled her into a room and closed the door behind him.

He told her to sit on a solitary chair near the far wall and she did so, her eyes never leaving the robed man as he started to pace.

"First of all, your name."

Melena took a deep breath as she said, "Jaslyn."

"Jaslyn…"

Melena gulped, not even thinking about a last name. She looked around desperately, looking for anything that could provide her with a quick idea, but it was futile. This room was void of anything except the Minister and this chair she was sitting on.

"Jaslyn, I am waiting."

"Thr—Thrair. Jaslyn Thrair."

The Minister stopped pacing and looked at her suspiciously. "Thrair? I've never heard of it."

"That's because my husband is dead, sir. He's been dead for three years now." Melena gulped as the Minister leaned closer to her, examining her pale face to see if there was any indication of a lie. Fortunately she had gotten used to this routine when she was just a young girl living in this very same palace.

The Minister huffed as he backed away from Melena, unsatisfied that he didn't find anything faulty about the strange woman's body language.

"And what association do you have with the Heir Apparent?"

Melena was about to say 'mother', but she knew better than to say that. "I have been sent by Elphaba Thropp to seek him out and deliver her journal, sir."

_Better to tell it like it is than to invent another story altogether,_ she thought, already knowing how bad that could be from past experience.

"And what association do you have with the Wicked Witch of the West, Jaslyn?" the Minister asked her dryly, leaning towards her again.

"I would appreciate it if you don't lean that close to me, sir," Melena growled. "I'm a bit claustrophobic."

The Minister raised a brow as he backed away from her. Didn't Shell have claustrophobia…?

"Thank you," Melena breathed. "I have merely been hired to do this, sir. I have no association with her at all."

"Then what could the Heir Apparent want with you?" spat the Minister, visibly frustrated.

"I believe he wants me to lead him to his sister."

The Minister suddenly whirled on her and pointed the gun at her face. She stared down the barrel, her gray eyes growing cross-eyed at the barrel's close proximity to her nose.

"Don't you dare do that," he growled at her, pushing the barrel against her nose. "The last thing I need is for the Witch to come to Colwen Grounds."

"And why not?" Melena said defensively, instantly regretting the words as they came out. "This is her home by birth, isn't it?"

The Minister lowered the gun a bit, his eyes opening wide.

"H-how did you know that?"

Melena bit her lip, wanting to hit herself for opening her big mouth. Just then she was saved by the door to the room opening and a rather breathless man stumbling inside.

"By the Unnamed God," the Minister cursed under his breath and whirled around to face the man, hurriedly placing the gun back into his robe pocket. Melena softly exhaled in relief, thankful for whoever this was coming in at just right moment.

"S-sir," the man stammered. "I've just returned from the Emerald City!"

"That's obvious," the Minister grumbled. "What did Morrible want to tell all of Oz?"

Melena's eyes shot open at the sound of the former Headmistress's name.

The man had to wait a few seconds to regain his breath before speaking again. "W-we have a new Magic Grand Vizier!"

"Yeah. Uh-huh. So?"

"And she's blue!"

_Bolynda!_ Melena thought, her heart thudding in alarm. _How did she…?_

"Wait, wait, wait." The Minister scratched his balding head. "Did you just say _blue?_"

"Blue as the sky, sir!" the man confirmed.

The Minister turned around to face Melena once again but all he saw was an empty chair. His eyes opened wide as he realized she had escaped from right under his nose.

_Shit!_

***

Melena burst into a run as she made her way through the halls, remembering her way through the gray-walled maze. She ran through a couple of people, papers flying everywhere as she flew past them.

"Hey! Stop her!!"

She heard the Minister's voice echo through the halls and she ran even faster, her long limbs making it easy to outrun the older man as he stumbled after her, gun in hand. She flinched as she heard several shots whiz by her shoulder and embed themselves into the wall in front of her. She sharply turned a corner just a bullet fired from the Minister's gun.

It whizzed through her long, white hair as she sprinted into another hall, smelling the acrid scent of burning hair. She crinkled her nose as she dove through the exit, the bright light of day blinding her.

She hurriedly got rid of the white spots in her eyes as she ran into the cemetery, the soft grass crunching against her boots as she made her way through. The Minister limped through the gates, his legs feeling like fire.

"You're not getting away from me," the man breathed and aimed his gun at Melena's retreating form. He pulled the trigger, hearing the explosion as the bullet left the barrel of his gun. He watched as Melena fell, clutching at her side.

"Shit! He got me!" hissed Melena as waves after waves of pain paved their way across her stomach. She removed her hand from the wound and already saw red blood on it. "Damn it, this is worse than giving birth!"

She shakily stood up, both her hands clutching at her deep stomach wound. She knew if she didn't get medical help soon this would be the end of it.

The Minister drew closer to her, the gun still aimed at her.

"Got you now, bitch," he sneered. "Can't run away from me now, can you?"

His words sent Melena's head reeling. She felt an all too familiar feeling creep up her spine and take over her mind. She removed her hands from her bloodstained blouse, clenching them into fists at her sides. There was no stopping her now as she charged towards the Minister, her hands extended.

The Minister let out a cry as the woman tackled him at an unnatural speed, the gun flying off his hands and firing by itself as it hit the ground. The bullet embedded itself in Nessarose's epitaph, the bullet making a hole perfectly in the middle of the 'o' in her first name.

"Can't run away from me now, can't you?" Melena hissed in the man's ear, her voice unnaturally low as she swiped her hands across the Minister's face, causing him to give a loud scream of agony.

The Minister screamed scream after scream as Melena delivered hefty blows to his stomach and face. He didn't know if his mind was playing tricks on him, but he swore the woman's eyes were _glowing_. Her teeth were bared back in an angry, feral-like snarl as she used the older man as a punching bag, not caring if the blood from her own wound had seeped through her clothes and was now flowing down her dress and unto the red robes of the Minister underneath her.

"St-stop!" the Minister gasped between punches to his jaw.

The problem was that Melena_ couldn't_ stop. She was having an 'episode' and no one was there to calm her down with words of magic. She then raised her hand, ready to bring the Minister to his doom.

"N-no! Please, for the sake of the Unnamed God," the man sputtered, blood coming out of his mouth. "Please spare my life!"

Melena smiled wickedly down at him as she said, "I don't believe in the Unnamed God."

Without another word, she brought down her hand, her claw-like fingernails scoring through the man's throat and slicing it open, her poison working quickly as he started to convulse underneath her. She quickly leapt off of him, her hands covering her face as she realized what she had done.

She had killed a man.

The Minister thrashed around for a bit before going still, his lifeless eyes staring up at the ever-sunny sky above them.

She made herself calm down, her eyes losing her glow as the pain from her stomach wound slowly came back to her.

"Oh…oh no," she breathed, falling to her knees. "I killed him. I fucking _killed_ him."

She didn't want to look back at the Minister's body, the guilt clouding her vision as much as the 'episode' did earlier. She staggered forwards, clutching at the wound in her stomach. She then noticed the bullet that had strayed into Nessarose's epitaph and she broke into a sob.

"Oh, Nessa!" she gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

Without another word, she stumbled out of the cemetery, not aware of the sixteen year old boy who had watched the gruesome attack from his bedroom window, his eyes opened wide in horror.


	35. Chapter 35

**Sorry this update took so long guys, but I was having problems uploading documents...so...yeah. :P**

**Enjoy chapter 35 and tell me what you think afterwards. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 35

"Bolynda, answer my question."

The blue girl was staring straight at Fiyero, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. She then closed it, biting her lower lip.

"No, Fiyero. I'm not from here."

Fiyero blinked and backed away from her, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Then where are you from?"

Bolynda didn't know if Fiyero would know about her homeland, but she told him anyway. "Zo."

"Zo? What is that?"

The blue girl groaned inwardly. "It's a totally different place from here," she said to him. "It's like Oz's opposite."

The dark-skinned man didn't get what Bolynda was trying to tell him. _Another land?_ he thought. _Oz's opposite? _

Bolynda heard his thoughts and closed her eyes, knowing questions were to come her way if they were in his mind. She then felt something touch her shoulder and she opened her eyes, looking straight into her new lover's blue eyes.

Suddenly there was a piercing sound and both of them flinched as it sounded again.

"The alarm," Fiyero breathed. "We'll talk about this later," he told her quickly. "Right now we have to make sure Oz didn't fall apart while we were gone."

Bolynda nodded; glad for this reprieve the sudden alarm was giving her. _He must know that I'm speaking the truth,_ she thought. _He doesn't think I'm a lunatic. That's good…right?_

She let Fiyero take her hand, pull her down the hall and down the narrow staircase. He let go of it as they hurriedly neared his office. Bolynda wrapped her arms around herself as she felt a strange draft coming from beneath the door of the office. They heard murmuring coming from the door and Fiyero gave her a questioning look.

She shrugged, having no clue what was going on in the room.

Fiyero put a hand on the door handle and turned it, gently opening the door. As soon as he walked in, he was greeted by the sight of Morrible and a few guards around the room. He gasped as he saw a body on the ground by their feet.

"There he is," Morrible sniffed, looking as if she's been sobbing. "He killed him! Our Emperor killed him!"

Fiyero felt numbness take over his body as he saw the lifeless form of his friend, Avaric. He dropped to his knees as Bolynda gaped as she saw the scene before her.

The guards swarmed around them, pulling Fiyero up from the ground and cuffing him, the shackles digging deep into his dark skin. He didn't protest, the numbness still embedded deep in his mind, making his whole body unfeeling to anything but the agonizing grief over the loss of his friend.

Bolynda cried out as she felt rough hands shove her arms to her back and the shackles clasp around her wrists.

"No, wait,"

Morrible walked up towards her, her mascara smeared where tears had fallen down her face.

"Just tie her to that chair over there. Since I'm magical, I'll deal with her separately."

The guards that had arrested Bolynda nodded and pushed her over to an empty chair, roughly shoving her into it before tying a rope around her chest to the back of the ornate chair. She spat at them as they moved away from them. They just ignored her as they went back to the guards that held Fiyero.

"I can't believe he would do this," Morrible sobbed, holding up a corked bottle with clear liquid inside of it. "Our very own Emperor! A _murderer?!_"

Bolynda looked desperately at Fiyero, who still looked like he was dead to the world. "Fiyero!" she screamed at him. "Fiyero! Speak for yourself!"

The dark-skinned man stayed silent.

"I found this beside the poor captain's head," Morrible said, holding up the bottle. "This is a poison from the deep parts of Winkie Country. A very expensive poison only a prince could obtain…"

"He didn't do it!" Bolynda shouted at the guards, interrupting Morrible. "I swear he didn't!"

"Why should we listen to you?" one of the guards scoffed. "You…_blue thing_?"

Bolynda wanted to kill that man right then and there. She writhed against her restraints but to no avail. They were too strong for her to break free of.

"Don't listen to her," Morrible told them. "She's the Emperor's new lover now and she probably aided him in this horrific murder."

There was a collective gasp among the group.

Bolynda's jaw dropped. _H-how does she know?_ she thought, her heart feeling like lead.

"More reason to put him away, then," the same guard who had spoken before said. "It's clear he's not capable to serve as Emperor anymore."

"Surely Corporal Vancor, you will let Commander Rayne know I will be taking over as temporary ruler from now on until we find a fit replacement."

"Of course," Vancor said. He signaled for some of the uniformed men around him to cover Avaric's body with a blanket. Fiyero let out a choked sob as they lifted his dead friend and carried him out the door.

"He will be missed," Morrible mumbled. "I will conduct a proper burial for him as soon as we have this…this _monster_ taken care of." She was indicating to Fiyero with her hand. "I want him put in Southstairs immediately."

Bolynda let out a cry as Fiyero was being silently led away from the room and out the door. She caught a flash of his blue tattoos on his skin as the door slammed shut behind them.

Vancor tipped his hat to Morrible. "We are glad that you had sounded the alarm just in time, ma'am. If not, he would have gotten away with murder."

"I am still in shock, corporal."

"Me too, ma'am. Have a good day."

Morrible didn't respond as the corporal opened the door, exited the room and closed it behind him.

"_You_ are the monster," Bolynda hissed at her. "_You_ killed the captain."

"Now, now, dearie," the older woman clucked, turning around to face the blue girl. She smiled as she examined the knots that restrained Bolynda. "We mustn't jump to conclusions now."

"I know he didn't kill him. He was with me the entire time."

"Oh, a smart cookie, aren't you, dearie? Thank goodness the guards around here are too damn stupid to realize what you had just realized. If not, then this would have been a little harder than it actually was."

"You sicken me," Bolynda hissed. She suddenly felt the weight of the necklace the older woman had given her earlier and she wanted to just rip it off and throw it into Morrible's fishy face.

Morrible cackled. "That's not the first time someone has said that to me. I'm sorry you feel that way, dearie. I thought we could be friends."

"I'll never be friends with a bitch like you."

"Well too bad. You're going to have to like me sooner or later now that I am the new ruler of Oz."

***

Fiyero barely noticed the world flying past him as the guards dragged him through the halls of Southstairs. He didn't struggle as they threw him into a cell, locking the door behind him. He coughed weakly as he lay there, his blue eyes dull and lifeless.

"Well, it seems someone else came to cheer me up today."

Fiyero flinched as he recognized the voice. His gut ached as he got up, facing a rather muscular man in front of him.

"Well, I'll be damned," Razaf breathed. "It's the Emperor himself."

Fiyero was speechless. He just stood there, his jaw agape as he saw the man that had tried to kill him several times in the past. He backed away, his uniform jacket touching the bars of the cell as his blue eyes opened wide in fear.

"Don't worry," Razaf said, showing Fiyero his hands. "No dangerous weapons here."

"I don't believe this," Fiyero breathed.

"I don't believe it either. It's so unreal. Say, how did you get in here, O Great Oz?"

"She set me up."

Razaf blinked at Fiyero's indirect answer. His blazing green eyes were now mere chips of flint as he gazed at the man he had loathed for most of his life. The very same man who had put him into jail in the first place.

"That bitch set me up."

"Who?"

"That blue girl."

Razaf felt his head go a little lightheaded at the mention of Bolynda. He didn't know why, but he felt some sort of connection with her. "What did she do to you?" he asked, feeling a little protective of Bolynda even from the confines of his cell.

"We…we had sex."

Razaf wasn't prepared for this. He felt his heart sink to the ground and he shook his head, not understanding. Why was he feeling like someone had punched him in the gut?

"She used it as a distraction. She had fucking _used _me!" Fiyero started to punch the wall in his frustration until his knuckles bled.

His cellmate was still flabbergasted at Fiyero's revelation but he had recovered enough to stop the dark-skinned man from hurting himself too badly. He grabbed Fiyero's broad shoulders used all his strength to restrain the man from himself.

"Morrible killed Avaric while we were having sex!" Fiyero shouted. "She knew what was going on!"

"Who?" Razaf was becoming confused at Fiyero's incoherent ranting. "_Who_ knew what was going on?"

"Bolynda! Bolynda knew it! She knew it all along and _used _me!"

Razaf narrowed his green eyes, not sure if the blue girl he had met earlier that day was capable of doing something like that. Were they talking about the same blue girl here…?

"Oh, Avaric," Fiyero moaned, his head leaning against the cell's grimy brick walls. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Razaf backed away as he let the uniformed man have his space. He might not like him, but he knew when to give a man his privacy to grieve for his friend. And by the sound of Fiyero's moaning, this had been a very _dear _friend of his.

The sandy-haired man drew back into the shadows, his mind whirling with thoughts of Bolynda and Fiyero, then more thoughts of Bolynda.

_She couldn't have done that,_ he thought, remembering the strange, bubbly girl that had been in his cell not too long ago. _She couldn't have…_

…_could she?_

***

Adagio broke into a gallop, the women on his back hanging on tighter as the Horse ran into the grassland, finally leaving the dark forest behind them. It was now sundown and the tall grass around them had a tint of orange as Adagio threw himself into the mass.

"Welcome to the Big Plain, girls," the Horse panted as he ran through the tall grass.

Elphaba looked at the expanse of land around her, a feeling of freedom rising up in her body. When she had been in the forest surrounded by all those trees, she had felt claustrophobic. She had always had problems with claustrophobia ever since she was a young child.

Here she felt like she could fly and with Adagio carrying her through the grass like this, it felt just like that.

Glinda buried her face against Elphaba's back as the tall grass whipped around her, having the disadvantage of being shorter than her lover and therefore missing the view.

"Do you see this, Glinda?" Elphaba sounded excited. "This is beautiful!"

"I'll let you know when I grow another foot," Glinda mumbled into the black fabric, tightening her hold around Elphaba's waist.

Elphaba had either ignored the blonde or didn't hear her. She smiled as she felt the wind hit her face and sift through her black hair, sending it flying into disarray behind her. The only time she had felt like this was when she had been riding her broom for the first time.

Thinking of her broom, she got a sudden idea. She smiled to herself, knowing she would share it with Glinda and Adagio later when the Horse stopped for rest.

Glinda dared to look up and saw her lover's face, one of the rare smiles on her sharp, angular face. The blonde couldn't help but fall in love all over again as she saw Elphaba laugh into the wind, the setting sun around them casting a beautiful orange glow on her green skin. She looked almost heavenly.

_My green angel,_ Glinda thought and buried her face into her love's back again, breathing the scent of wood deep into her lungs. _I love you so, so much._

Elphaba felt Glinda bury her head into her back and she smiled, untangling a hand from Adagio's black mane to reach over and stroke her love's blonde hair. She felt the hold on her waist lessen as Glinda unwrapped an arm and held her hand, stopping her smooth strokes.

"I love you, Elphie," Glinda whispered as she held onto the green hand tightly.

"I love you too, my dear Glinda," Elphaba replied and squeezed Glinda's hand before reluctantly letting it go to put her own hand into Adagio's mane again.

The Horse had listened to this sweet interaction, a horsey smile on his face. He had known these two girls only half a day and already he felt as if he'd known them all his life.

Soon he grew tired and he slowed down to a walk, his flanks rising and falling with each ragged breath he took.

"I…I think I'm going to stop now…" the Horse panted.

"Go ahead and rest, Adagio," Elphaba told him. "You deserve it."

Adagio just flicked his ears and walked until they neared a patch of flattened grass. It looked as if something had rested there before them. Adagio gave it a sniff before stepping onto the grass.

"Just an old scent," he said. "A couple of days old, actually."

Elphaba quickly dismounted the Horse and turned around. Always having been the chivalrous one, she helped Glinda down, her small feet landing on the flattened grass lithely before jumping up and giving Elphaba a big hug.

The green woman returned the friendly gesture and chuckled.

"And what did I do to deserve that, Glinda?" she asked her, still chuckling.

"Just for being you, my sweet Elphie."

Elphaba laughed and kissed her forehead. She then let go of Glinda and turned to Adagio, who had lain down on the grass, his nostrils still flaring as regained his breath after his run over the grassland. The green woman made her way to the black Horse's side and removed her satchel from its place on her shoulder. She then looked at Glinda, motioning her over with a jerk of her head.

"What, Elphie?" Glinda asked her.

"Do you still have that canteen of water?"

Glinda nodded and took it out, handing it to the green woman who uncapped it and offered it to Adagio.

The Horse's ears flicked forward as he looked up at Elphaba, Glinda, then at the canteen. He stuck his tongue out and licked up the water that Elphaba carefully dropped into his mouth. After she thought he had enough, she twisted the cap back on and handed it back to Glinda.

"How did you know?" Adagio asked her, his voice sounding a lot better than it did a few seconds ago.

"I have my ways," Elphaba chuckled and patted his snout. "I work with Animals a lot."

"Really?"

Elphaba nodded as Glinda came up and sat next to her, a pale hand intertwining with hers. "Where I'm from, Adagio, the Animals are oppressed."

"Oppressed?" Adagio sounded absolutely horrified.

"Unfortunately, yes." Elphaba closed her eyes as grim thoughts started to cloud her head. "I've made it my life's work to help them whenever they need me. Let's just say that didn't earn me too many brownie points with the Wizard."

"The Wizard?!" Adagio blinked at her, hoping he had heard differently.

"Yeah. What's wrong, Gio?" Glinda asked him. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I might as well have," the Horse murmured. He then looked at both of the girls very seriously. "Elphaba, Glinda, do both of you know about the Evil Wizard?"

Elphaba shook her head; her interest suddenly peaked by the mention of a Wizard in this land.

What worried Glinda, though, was the 'Evil' in his name. She looked at Elphaba, her blue eyes brimming with worry.

"Oh boy," Adagio breathed, noticing they had no clue what to expect in this land at all.

"Tell us more about this Wizard, Gio," Elphaba told him, noticing Glinda's look and his serious complexion. She used the nickname she had given him, making the Horse smile briefly before turning serious again.

"He's what you call a Resistance here in Zo. He defies all the laws of this land in order to conduct his own business." Adagio shivered as he said, "I even heard he kills Animals…for sport."

Elphaba was absolutely disgusted. This sounded all too familiar. She looked at Glinda and they shared a knowing look.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Elphaba asked her.

"I don't know, but this Wizard seems awfully familiar," Glinda muttered, narrowing her blue eyes.

Adagio looked at Elphaba, Glinda, then back at Elphaba again. "What's going on?"

"I think we're talking about the same Wizard here," Elphaba said gravely. "How long ago did this Wizard appear here in Zo?"

"Oh, it was not too long ago," Adagio said. "I'd say about five years ago?"

"That's it!" Elphaba exclaimed, hitting the flattened grass next to her, turning it to straw by the sheer force of her blow. "I knew it!"

"Now, Elphie, don't go off on your high horse here," Glinda said and looked at Adagio. "No offense."

"None taken," the Horse nickered, chuckling to himself.

"He's the same one!" Elphaba told them. "The Wizard where we're from left five years ago. Is it just a coincidence or something more…?"

Glinda put a hand on her arm, trying to calm her exited love. "Elphie, we won't know until we see him for ourselves."

"How would we know if he hides behind a mask again?"

"Mask?" Adagio asked, his head tilted to the side. "The Evil Wizard doesn't use a mask."

Elphaba looked at the Horse, a brow raised. "How would you know? Did you see him for yourself?"

"Elphie!" Glinda scolded her, slapping her arm. Unlike her lover, she had noticed the way Adagio had slowly become more reserved as they talked about this Wizard. "That was very presumptuous of you to say."

"I'm sorry," the green woman mumbled, rubbing her arm where Glinda had slapped her.

"Oh, that's okay. It's not like I knew what presum…presept…whatever-that-word-was meant in the first place."

"Arrogant." Glinda gave Elphaba a stern look. "_Very_ arrogant."

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" Elphaba quickly defended herself.

"You're forgiven, Elphie," Adagio said, smiling when Elphaba glared at him. "To answer your question…yes. I _have_ seen him."

Elphaba leaned closer to him. "You have?"

"Yes. A long time ago. He…he killed my sister."

Glinda gasped as Elphaba drew back, a frown on her face.

"Oh, Gio, I'm so sorry," Glinda whispered, stroking the black Horse's mane.

"It wasn't like she had a choice," the Horse mumbled. "He had a firestick with him. If the elves hadn't scared him away, he would've killed me too."

Elphaba shook her head, knowing what Adagio meant by 'firestick' was a gun.

"So, the elves had saved your life?" Glinda asked him, her voice soft.

"Yeah, until right about two minutes later when they tried to kill me too," Adagio chuckled. "I've never thought of them saving my life before. I've always hated them and now as I think about it…yeah. They _did _save my life."

"Did you get a clear view of the Wizard's face?" Elphaba asked him.

Adagio shook his head. "No. I just know he didn't wear a mask. That's all I can remember, honestly. It was nearly four years ago when this happened and as you probably know, Horses don't have very good memory."

Elphaba patted his head as Glinda stroked his snout, trying to comfort him.

"You were the first human I've seen in a while, Elphaba," Adagio nickered, nibbling affectionately at her shoulder. "At first I was afraid to approach you, but when I realized you needed help, I couldn't stay away."

"I bet you had a fright when you realized this particular human was green, right?" Elphaba asked him, glad the Horse was in better spirits now that they had changed the subject.

"No…okay, a little," chuckled Adagio. "But that was because I thought you were an elf at first."

"I'm glad you got over your fear, Gio," Glinda told him as she gave his neck a hug. "Now we can't let you go!" she giggled.

"That's true," Elphaba agreed. "If you hadn't come trampling through the forest with Glinda on your back I wouldn't be here right now. You truly _are_ my savior, Adagio."

"_Now_ she admits it," Adagio neighed, flicking his ears. Glinda giggled and her stomach suddenly rumbled, causing her to clutch at her abdomen.

"Wow, that was loud," the Horse laughed. "Hungry, Glinda?"

"A little," the blonde said, smiling faintly. "Before we left, Frynda was gathering some food for us. I…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the flattened grass underneath her.

Elphaba touched her shoulder before she could say anything else. She got a long, sad look from her blonde lover.

"Why did we have to leave her behind, Elphie?"

"You know why, Glinda, so drop the subject. Please." Elphaba grabbed her satchel and opened it, ignoring Glinda as the blonde stared forlornly at the horizon.

The green woman rummaged through the satchel and took the knife out, watching it as it glinted in the faint orange sunlight the sunset provided. "I will attempt to catch something to eat with this knife," she told Glinda and stood up.

"Good luck," Glinda chuckled. "Want me to help?"

"No," Elphaba said. "I'll do it myself."

She then wrapped Frynda's cloak further around herself, making her look like she could melt into the shadows of the incoming night.

"I'll be back soon."

Without another word she left them, her form disappearing into the tall grass. Glinda sighed as she leaned against Adagio, resting her head on the Animal's flank.

"I hope she's not honestly expecting me to eat whatever she catches," Adagio muttered to her.

"Of course not, silly," the blonde replied. "She's doing this for me."

"Good." Adagio reached over and plucked at nearby grass with his teeth, chewing on it thoughtfully before swallowing it. "I prefer grass."

"Strangely, so does she."

Adagio just gave her a curious look as he nibbled on some more grass, wondering if there was anything else he had in common with the green girl.

"I wish she wasn't so stubborn," Glinda told the Horse after a few minutes. The Horse turned his head towards her, tiny bits of dried grass speckled all over his snout.

"I still don't know why she left that Frynda girl behind," he said. "Care to tell me?"

Glinda sighed as she plucked at the grass next to her. "It's a long story. Elphie's not going to be back for a while so I guess I could tell you. It all started when she found out her mother was alive."

She then proceeded to tell the Horse why Elphaba didn't want Frynda to travel with them. Adagio looked confused as she finished, his head cocked to the side.

"But she_ doesn't_ want to go back to this Oz place?"

"Oh, we do. We want to very much. But it's…complicated. Elphaba's complicating things more than she should."

Adagio nodded and he would've shrugged if he could. "Just know that I'll be at both your sides the whole time. Preferably in the middle, that way I could be at both of your sides at the same time."

"Aw, Gio!" Glinda giggled. "That was so cute!"

"Cute?" the Horse asked. "Okay, I'll take cute."

Glinda continued to giggle as night started to settle over the Big Plain, darkness cloaking the surroundings around them.


	36. Chapter 36

**This is definitely a good chapter guys. 52 chapters already written for this story, so be expecting a lot of updates from me soon!**

**Tell me what you think about Bolynda and Morrible--****oh, wait, I guess you'll have to read it first. ;D**

**What are you doing still reading this useless bold heading?! Go on and read the chapter already! XP **

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 36

Frynda stretched on the grass, blinking sleepily as night settled in around her. She heard scuffling as Mantu made a small nest of dried grass for himself a few feet away from her.

"Must you make so much noise, Mantu?" she asked him.

"I'm sorry," the elf apologized. "I'm normally accustomed to sleeping in softer material than this."

"Well, you better get used to it," muttered Frynda, "'cause we've still got a ways to go to the Animal Village."

"Animal Village? We're going _there_?" Mantu exclaimed, his voice high-pitched.

Frynda turned on her side to face him, propping herself up on one elbow. "Yeah. You have a problem with that, Mantu?"

She said it in such a way that Mantu couldn't bear to voice his fears, so he kept quiet and shook his head.

"Good," Frynda said, moving so she rested on her back once again. She gazed at the nighttime stars above her for a few moments before speaking again.

"The stars are bright tonight."

Mantu looked up at the sky, allowing a smile to pass on his elfish face. "They are, aren't they? I love the stars."

"Who doesn't?" Frynda sighed.

"Why don't you make a wish upon a star?" Mantu asked her, turning his head to see the girl's outline against the dim light the stars provided.

"A wish upon a star? Why?"

"In my clan, whenever someone makes a wish on a star, it will eventually come true."

"That's bogus."

"Just try it, Frynda," Mantu told her. "It never hurts to try."

Frynda rolled her eyes and stared up into the night sky. She could see the numerous bright, pulsating stars and the purple swathes of faraway galaxies mixed together to make a beautiful scene. The half-moon didn't dampen her view as she scanned the night sky, trying to locate a single star that stood out from the rest. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She would only lose the star she managed to find.

Frynda let out a frustrated sigh. "I feel ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous, Frynda. It's a matter of believing. Do you believe, Frynda?"

"Believe what?"

"Believe in yourself?"

Frynda closed her eyes. The elf was asking her a question she herself didn't know the answer to. She shook her head and opened her eyes again.

"Alright, alright, I'll make the stupid wish."

"Good girl. Soon you'll find that sometimes believing in yourself could make all the difference."

Frynda furrowed her brows at the elf's cryptic words. She turned her head but Mantu had already fallen asleep. Her mouth opened in a yawn and she stared once again at the sky above her.

_Believe in myself?_ she asked herself. _How can I believe in myself when I don't even trust what I _feel?

For a few minutes she just lay there, silently counting the stars. She quickly gave up and closed her amber eyes.

_If I were to listen to this crazy elf and make a wish,_ she asked herself. _What would I wish for?_

Her heart already knew the answer, but wasn't sure if her mind could comprehend it.

_I would wish for love._

She looked up at the sky one last time before curling into a ball as she succumbed into the dark world of sleep.

***

Bolynda watched as Morrible leaned back on the large chair she was sitting on. The woman was staring back at her, her steely gray eyes searching the blue girl.

"What are you looking at, fish face?" Bolynda spat at her.

"Is that the best you can come up with? I've heard better ones from my former students at Shiz. I have to say, I'm disappointed in you." Morrible smiled as she saw the blue girl narrow her eyes and look at the ground.

Morrible laced her fingers together. "I don't know what the Emperor saw in you, Bolynda."

"Apparently what no one else saw in _you_," sneered Bolynda, her mouth curving up into a wicked smile as she saw the older woman's face grow red with hot fury.

"You think you can hurt me with mere words, witch?" Morrible asked her, seething. It seemed Bolynda hit a sore spot in the woman.

"Yes, I believe I can," the Zoian woman said. "I mean, look at you. Who would want to kiss _you? _Seriously, I mean…who would want to kiss a fish…on the mouth?"

Morrible's nails made a searing sound as she got up, towering over Bolynda.

The blue girl's smile grew wider, knowing she was getting somewhere with Morrible. "And look at your hair! Wait; is that even real hair…?"

"That's quite enough of that, young lady," Morrible hissed.

"Oh, I'm not done yet." Bolynda was enjoying this immensely. "I haven't even begun on your clothes yet. I mean, talk about _so_ twenty-five centuries ago…"

"Shut up!" Morrible screeched. She quickly grabbed Bolynda's ear as if she was a mere child. "I will not stand for your stupidity any longer! Shut your mouth or I will shut it for you!"

"Go ahead," Bolynda dared her, looking up at the woman with blazing aqua blue eyes. "It's not as if what I said isn't true. Just ask anyone who has eyes."

Morrible made a growling sound.

"What's wrong, woman? I'm still talking here."

Morrible just let go of Bolynda's ear and walked stiffly back to the desk.

Bolynda let out a low chuckle and raised a brow. "I see someone's scared of a little blue girl. Why don't you just take me back to prison again? It seemed like a fine place to put the Emperor, so why not me?"

"You will not be going anywhere," Morrible muttered. "You are not going anywhere near Fiyero again."

"No!" Bolynda cried, her cockiness suddenly forgotten. "I have to see him! You bitch, let me go!"

Morrible's eyes shadowed as she pulled out the bottle of poison she had kept in the drawer of the desk. She cackled as she saw Bolynda's jaw drop at the sight of the bottle.

"N-no, y-you wouldn't—"

"Oh, I would, dearie. And as long as you keep that up, you would only be so much closer to Fiyero's death."

Bolynda just stared at her, her eyes blazing wildly with her silent fury.

"The only reason I didn't kill you already is that you still have some use to me."

"Is that what you do for a living? Use people?"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Morrible told her, one of her nails tapping the bottle's cap. "Keep those comments to yourself or your new lover will die just like his friend."

Bolynda just spat at her.

"And keep your saliva in your mouth, please. I don't want any unsightly stains on my new office's carpet."

Bolynda wanted more than ever to read the woman's mind, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get past the barriers the woman has set up in her mind, guarding her thoughts. She looked down at the ground as the sound of knocking came into the room.

"Come in," Morrible chimed, quickly placing the bottle into the drawer of the wooden desk once again. A uniformed man was at the door, his eyes bulging at the sight of Bolynda tied to a chair.

"Y-y-you said he wouldn't d-d-die," the man stammered.

"Accidents happen, dearie," Morrible sighed. "I'm afraid the spell Fiyero's been put under is too much to handle for the moment."

"Did he really k-k-kill Avaric?"

Bolynda wanted to scream, but the threat of Fiyero's death hanging over her she couldn't. She wouldn't be the cause of her new lover's death if she could help it.

"Yes, commander. I'm sorry."

"Is it safe to come in?"

"Yes, dearie. She can't do anything without her hands."

The man entered the room, still visibly wary of Bolynda. She smiled at the way she was making him tremble and her blue eyes sparkled with maliciousness as she read his thoughts.

"Why is His Ozness in S-S-Southstairs?" the commander asked, his voice shaking violently.

"Sit down, Rayne," Morrible told him, indicating to the chair opposite of Bolynda. "You're stuttering like a babbling fool."

"N-no th-thank you, ma'am," Rayne said, taking a step back away from Bolynda, who gave him a crooked smile and a wink.

Morrible shot a glare at the blue girl's direction before addressing to Rayne again. "This blue fiend told our Emperor to kill Avaric right after their little playtime session—"

Bolynda's eyes widened_. Who else knows that I and Fiyero had sex?! Everyone in this whole damned land must know by now!_

"—and I found the poor dear in here, poisoned," Morrible continued, dabbing at a fake tear in her eye. "There was nothing I could do but sound the alarm."

"I understand, ma'am," Rayne said. "Are you going to kill the witch?"

Bolynda gave Morrible a side-glance. _I would like to see her try._

"Again, commander, patience." Morrible shook her head and sighed. "She will meet her end as soon as the Emperor's fully cleansed of her spell. His stay in Southstairs will allow them to be far enough apart so the spell could wear off. The witch needs to be alive for that to happen."

"Oh," was all the commander said, his blue-green eyes staring at Bolynda as the blue witch rolled her eyes, not believing that Morrible had told him that she had put Fiyero under a spell.

_How lame can you get?_ she thought bitterly. _I don't even know how to put anyone under a spell, much less a man like Fiyero. The only spell I have him under is my love spell. And I didn't even need words for that one. Just my body and womanly charm. _

She smiled at this, reminiscing on the brief affair she had with Fiyero before Morrible's voice interrupted her thoughts with a cough.

"Commander, did Corporal Vancor tell you about my generous offer to temporarily rule Oz in the Emperor's absence?"

"Yes," Rayne said, forcing his eyes to peel away from Bolynda's blue skin and refocus on Morrible. "I have already called an emergency meeting with the local Ozian population to deliver this news. They should be gathering in about a half an hour so due to the rain."

"I will take care of that right away," she said and clapped her hands. "There, the rain should've stilled by now."

Rayne cocked his head, not sure just what happened. He shifted his weight uneasily, very aware of Bolynda's aqua blue gaze on him.

"This is wonderful!" Morrible said, clapping her hands together happily. "I shall get ready now. Is there anything else, commander?"

"Well, I have one question…"

Bolynda rolled her eyes, trying to keep herself from gagging aloud.

"Who is the new captain of the guard?"

"Naturally it would be you, dearie," Morrible said. "But we mustn't jump into anything before our Emperor fully recovers now, commander."

"Of course not!" Rayne quickly said. "Is there anything else you would like of me, ma'am?"

"Call me Morrible, please," the woman chuckled. "Ma'am is my mother's name. In fact, I've heard of someone I would like to get in touch with that you happen to know personally."

Rayne was utterly confused at her words. "Who…?"

"Your brother."

Rayne suddenly shook his head. "No. You don't want him. Please, anyone but Razaf."

Bolynda looked up at the familiar sounding name. She remembered Razaf when she had first been put into a cell with him in Southstairs. She remembered his piercing green eyes with a shiver. What would Morrible want with a man like him?

"I want Razaf here, Rayne. Do you understand me?"

"But—"

"_Now._"

Rayne gulped and nodded. Without further hesitation, the commander turned around and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Wait till you meet Razaf, Miss Bolynda," Morrible said. "If you thought _you_ were rebellious, think again. This man has tried to kill Fiyero and came quite close, actually. Let's see if he's up for a second try."

Bolynda just kept silent, her eyes dropping to the floor as the tears finally fell down her face.

***

Glinda buried herself further into Adagio's side, trying the keep herself warm as the night chill swept through the grassland.

"She's taking too long," the blonde muttered. "I should go look for her."

"That's not a good idea, Glinda," Adagio told her, his voice laced with drowsiness. "I wouldn't be able to find you two in the dark. My eyesight isn't as great as my other senses."

"I won't go far," Glinda assured him.

"Hah, right," the Horse snorted. "Just don't leave, okay?"

"I could take care of myself." Glinda couldn't help but be annoyed with the friendly Horse. Why did everyone have to be protective of her when she's old enough to take care of herself and then some?

"If you leave then I have a certain green woman to look forward to answering to when she comes back. I, for one, am scared of Elphaba if she finds out you're gone…and I value my life too much."

"She won't _kill _you, silly," Glinda told him.

Adagio snorted again. "Right. She'll torture me and _then_ kill me."

Glinda let out a frustrated sigh and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm worried she's gotten into some trouble and I won't be there to help her."

"Relax, Blondie," Adagio told her soothingly, using the nickname he had affectionately given her. "There's nothing here but us."

"How are you so sure? You just told me you can't see well in the dark."

The Horse hesitated, knowing the blonde had a point. He sighed and shook his head. "You just have to trust me."

Glinda just let out an inaudible reply and absentmindedly played with one of her blonde curls, watching it as it bounced back into place before she pulled at it again.

Adagio flicked his ears nervously, not sure if he should trust_ himself_.

_Glinda needs my reassurance now,_ he thought_. She doesn't need me to start freaking out too. I gotta be brave._

He furrowed his brows and an uneasy silence came upon them. The only sound was the occasional chirping of a cricket and the rustling of the grass as the wind sifted through it.

"What was that?" Glinda asked again after what seemed like the millionth time.

"Bug."

Glinda jumped again at a swishing sound behind her. "And that?"

"My tail."

Then there was a crash and Glinda screamed. "And _THAT?_"

Adagio's eyes opened wide in alarm. He looked around frantically, seeing a hunched figure lope its way towards them. He felt Glinda furrow back further into his flank as the figure neared closer and closer.

***

"Relax, guys. It's me."

Elphaba dropped the hood of the cloak and smiled at them, her white teeth glinting in the moonlight as she closed in the few feet between them.

Glinda sighed in relief and Adagio visibly relaxed, his heart still beating wildly from the brief scare the green woman gave him.

"Sweet Oz, Elphie," Glinda breathed as she got up, walking over to her love. "You sure know how to sneak up on people."

Elphaba was confused. "But I wasn't trying to—"

She was cut off as Glinda kissed her vigorously, both out of relief and just love for the woman.

"I guess I should sneak up on you more often!" Elphaba laughed when they parted, both a little breathless.

Glinda smacked her arm affectionately. "Elphaba Thropp, don't you dare!"

Elphaba was still laughing as she dropped something to the ground. Adagio let out a neigh and Glinda gasped as they saw the bloody hare roll unto the ground.

"What did you expect?" Elphaba told them as she bent down, the bloodstained knife in her green hand. "It was the only thing I could manage to catch."

"I know, Elphie," Glinda said, her voice small. "But…but it's a bunny."

"A hare," Elphaba corrected her.

"It's a_ bunny_, Elphie," Glinda whined, clearly not interested in Elphaba's clarification. She turned her head away as Elphaba worked at skinning the animal's fur away, exposing the meaty flesh underneath. "Why did you have to kill a cute little bunny?"

"It was either the cute little bunny or a snake. Take your pick."

Glinda just scrunched her nose at the mention of a snake for food.

"That's what I thought," chuckled Elphaba.

"Why is there so much blood?" Glinda asked her as she walked back to Adagio's side, who had fallen asleep as soon as he had learned Elphaba had arrived.

"My sweet," the green woman chuckled as she worked. "You must understand that there has to be at least _some_ blood involved in the killing of an animal."

"But…"

Elphaba looked up at her, a smirk on her face. "Shall I go back to get the snake?"

Glinda shook her head vigorously, her blue eyes opening wide.

"Then it's hare for dinner tonight, my sweet."

Glinda crouched down low and warily crawled up closer to Elphaba and the bloody mess, pinching her nose at the smell. "Am I going to eat it raw?" she asked her, her voice sounding nasal from the way she was squeezing her nose.

"Of course not," Elphaba said as she finished. "I'll start a fire now right after I clean this up the best I can."

"A fire?" Glinda asked shakily, suddenly reminded of Frynda and the way she had started the wildfire. She didn't want _that _to happen again.

"Don't worry, my sweet," Elphaba told her, noticing the way she reacted. "This one's going to be small and controlled. I'm pretty savvy with campfires since the days I was on the run from the Wizard."

Glinda nodded, knowing the way she was acting was ridiculous. "Do you need me to gather some kindling for you, Elphie?" she asked.

"No, I actually need rocks. Good luck finding some here. Wait a second, let me give you something." Elphaba hastily wiped her bloody hands on the cloak, reached over and grabbed her satchel. She took out the Grimmerie and opened it.

"Isn't it too dark to read, my love?" Glinda asked her.

"I almost have this spell memorized. I just need to make sure of a few words. Let's see…ah, here." She leaned forward until she was practically nose-to-nose with the page of the book and squinted, trying to make out the words in the darkness.

"Okay, I got it. Gythm vintum illuminos eleka zyntos." A ball of light appeared in Elphaba's green hand and she smiled, handing it over to Glinda. The blonde took it warily, her blue eyes opening wide with amazement.

She turned to her green love, a smile appearing on her pink lips. "Elphaba Thropp, you never cease to amaze me."

"That's good, because you'll never cease amazing me either."

"Oh, how so? How could a little blonde like me amaze a witch like you who had seen just about anything about everything?"

"Don't worry, you just do." Elphaba leaned forward to kiss her love before shooing her away. "Go, my amazing love. Gather all the rocks you can find."

Glinda nodded and turned away before Elphaba could see the faint blush that had appeared on her face.

_I'm amazing,_ she thought happily as she walked into the night, the ball of light illuminating her way.

_Elphaba Thropp thinks I'm amazing. Oh sweet Oz, how I love her. _

_I love her _so_ much._


	37. Chapter 37

**Here's chapter 37!**

**Enjoy, everyone~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 37

Melena stumbled through Colwen Grounds, not caring if she had been seen or not. She needed to get out of here and fast. Her worst fears had been realized.

She had actually killed someone.

She had to get to her daughter someway, somehow. Looking around, she quickly spotted a wooden structure where she could see the heads of horses poking out of several, small windows. She furrowed her brows and went straight for the stable.

Melena then saw a Munchkin boy leaning against the door, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he picked at his teeth with a stiff piece of hay.

"I need a horse," she said, trying to sound as normal as possible. She hid her bloody hands behind her back, hoping he hadn't had the chance to see them beforehand. She figured this was the stable boy by the way he was dressed and the dirt and grime that caked his face and hands.

The boy looked up at her and stuck the piece of hay between his teeth. "What do you need a horse for this late in the day?"

"Does that matter?" Melena asked, a bit annoyed.

"Well, these horses are usually reserved for carriages and such. They aren't really for riding…"

"That doesn't matter. I've ridden_ wild_ horses before."

The stable boy stared at her with a certain gleam in his eye, not sure if he should believe her or not. He then shrugged and opened the large door for her, eyeing her as she slid past him and into the stable.

"You can pick anyone you'd like," he said, leaning back against the far wall as Melena looked at the several horses that were in the stalls. They neighed and nickered at her, nibbling at the air next to her as if they were expecting her to give them some treats.

Unlike the lie she had just told, Melena has actually _never_ ridden a horse in her life. She would normally ride by carriage but her gunshot wound told her otherwise. She needed to get somewhere where they could offer some bandages or something to get the bleeding to stop and a horse is her only option right now.

"This one," she said, picking a light brown mare at the very last stall. She turned her back to the stable boy, trying to hide the grimace of pain that appeared on her pale face.

"Ah, Hazel. She's a good one." The stable boy expertly set up a saddle and reins, only used to doing that type of thing for himself and not others. Almost no one in Colwen Grounds ever bothered riding these horses, usually reserving them for pulling carriages and official events.

"Okay," Melena breathed.

The Munchkin looked at her, both his brows raised. "Are you okay? You sound like you're in pain."

"Just give me the damn horse," she hissed and hurriedly mounted the horse like she's seen others do. The boy gave a shout of surprise as the mare reared back, startled by this sudden weight on her back. Melena clung to the horse's mane, her belly wound throbbing with the harsh movement.

"Hey, you don't just—"

Melena didn't let the boy finish as she kicked the mare's side, sending it into a frantic run. She lowered her head as the horse burst through the wooden door, the stably boy stumbling after them, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Melena ignored him as the mare carried her away from Colwen Grounds, dust flying into the air as the horse thundered away, leaving a very bewildered Munchkin boy and a broken stable door. They had escaped.

The pale woman breathed into the mare's brown mane as they made their way onto the Yellow Brick Road, knowing it would be a while to the Emerald City.

She took her hand off her wound, not knowing it was there in the first place. It was shiny with blood and she gritted her teeth as the horse's run jostled her around the saddle. She didn't need to have her hands on the reins as the horse already knew its the way through the Yellow Brick Road due to having been the carriage horse for numerous trips to the Emerald City.

She wrapped her arms around her shot wound, willing the bleeding to stop but knowing mere will will not heal her now. She closed her eyes and let the horse carry her through the Yellow Brick Road.

This was one of the times that she just wished she could just curl up and die and if she didn't get help soon, she will do just that. But being the woman she was, she wouldn't let herself just give up like that. She needed to get to her daughter before she could get into more trouble than she could possibly afford under the current circumstances.

_How in the world did she get to be Magic Grand Vizier in less than a day_? she asked herself, not really wanting to learn how her wayward daughter had managed to reach such a high position in such a short amount of time. As she gazed into the setting sun in front of her, she gave into her thoughts, too weak to say anything out loud.

_Maybe the vision I saw had something to do with that, _she thought, remembering seeing the Emperor and Madame Morrible in Zafryna's glass. Before she could think of anything else, however, she slumped forward on the saddle, her eyes fluttering closed as a sudden lightheadedness clouded her brain.

_I must be losing a lot of blood,_ she thought weakly. _This is just wonderful. I hope this horse knows the way to the Emerald City…_

She then collapsed against the mare's back, the rhythmic clopping of its hooves the only last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

***

Mantu woke up to the sound of rustling, his sensitive ears catching the faint noise. He bolted up, his heart racing in alarm. He then looked at Frynda, who was still asleep curled into some sort of fetal position, her chest rising and falling in rhythm.

The elf looked around, not seeing anything unusual before sitting back down on his nest of dried grass. He scratched his head, wondering if he was starting to hear things he wasn't supposed to.

_That's absurd,_ he thought. _My ears are working just fine. It was just some animal trampling through the grass, that's all._

He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on top of his knees, his bright green eyes darting around. His gaze then rested on the curled up form of Frynda, the girl's auburn hair falling loosely to the ground as she snored softly.

_I'm being paranoid,_ the elf thought. _I'm being paranoid. Stop it, Mantu, you sound like some demented parrot. Stop it._

He let his back rest against the grass with a frustrated sigh. _Go to sleep. You need your rest to go to the Animal Village tomorrow with Frynda._

A shiver passed through his body as he thought of the Animal Village. He then shook his head and turned to his side, his eyes narrowing at his cowardice.

_Stop it, Mantu!_ He scolded himself. _Frynda will be right there next to you. She's not going to let anything happen to you as long as you're with her. Stop this and go to sleep. _

He forced his eyes to close and soon he fell back into an uneasy sleep, unaware of the faint light that had appeared not to far away from where he lay. It stilled for a moment before melting back into the night, oblivious of the girl and elf sleeping just a few feet away.

***

Glinda returned with a couple of rocks she had managed to scrounge up from the ground. She dropped them in front of Elphaba and sat down with a huff, setting the ball of light next to her. Elphaba had managed to gather some flint from around her while Glinda was away.

"Why don't you just use magic to light the fire?" Glinda asked her as her love assembled the rocks in a circle before tossing a few pieces of dried grass into the middle.

"I'm not going to risk it," the green woman answered simply. "I mean, I _could_, but…"

"I know what you mean, my love," Glinda told her gently. "Just do what you have to do."

Elphaba gave her a small smile before hitting the two pieces of flint together. After a few tries she managed to spark the dried grass, immediately setting it on fire. Hurriedly she added a few more pieces of dried grass, managing to control the small fire with occasional pokes of a long stick she had found a few feet away from their 'camp'.

Glinda watched as her green love grabbed the skinned hare by the legs and thrust the stick into it. She flinched, cringing at the way Elphaba took all of this with an easy stride as if she did this every day.

"Poor bunny," she whispered.

"My sweet, how many times do I have to tell you? It's _dead_."

"I know, I know. I hope you didn't cause it too much pain when you killed it," Glinda muttered, being her usual, sensitive self.

Elphaba chuckled as she held the body of the hare over the fire, occasionally turning it so it could roast on all sides. "Don't worry; it was just a quick snap to the neck. It let out a few kicks, but—"

"Ugh. Spare me the details, please," the blonde huffed.

"Well, you asked for it."

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did."

"No, I—"

The blonde was cut off as Elphaba leaned forward and captured her pink lips in a kiss. Glinda couldn't help but kiss her back, her hand reaching up to caress a green cheek.

Elphaba suddenly broke the kiss, handing the stick to Glinda. The blonde took it with a look of disgust, suddenly not having much of an appetite.

She looked at the roasted hare, her blue eyes narrowing. She could see the faint smoke still rising up from the small body and she gave Elphaba a look that said 'do I have to?'.

"Eat it, Glinda," Elphaba told her. "I could hear your stomach from here."

"But…"

"Just do it. What else are you going to eat instead the hare I so graciously got for you?"

"You."

Elphaba laughed. "Oh, so you'll resort to cannibalism to spare the pain of having to eat an already dead animal. That's very fair."

Glinda leaned closer to her. "That's not what I meant."

Elphaba let out a gulp when she saw the blonde's blue eyes dance as the light of the fire flickered in them. Glinda was so close now that their lips were barely brushing. Elphaba shivered as she felt the hot air against her skin as the blonde started to kiss the corner of her mouth, along her strong jaw line then down her neck.

"G-Glinda—"

"Shh, Elphie…" Glinda murmured against her love's green skin as she kissed her way back up to nibble under Elphaba's ear, eliciting a small moan from the green woman.

The pair slowly leaned backwards into the dried grass. Glinda pushed herself against Elphaba as she kissed her slowly and sensually, her hands roaming all over the green woman's body.

"Glinda Upland, you are seducing me, aren't you?"

Glinda could only smile as she nipped at the base of her green love's neck. She ran her hands through Elphaba's raven black hair before reaching over to cup one of her breasts.

"Mm, my sweet," Elphaba whispered, her voice thick with lust. "Do you want Adagio to wake up?"

"He's out like a light, Elphie," Glinda told her, her voice muffled against Elphaba's skin as she gently bit at her earlobe, careful not to burn her love's sensitive skin with her saliva.

"He'll surely wake up if we keep like this," moaned Elphaba, shivering as one of the blonde's hands wandered its way up her dress.

Glinda stopped and looked deep into her brown, chocolate eyes. "That's why I'm seducing _you_, my love. You're much quieter when we make love."

Elphaba smiled, genuinely impressed with the blonde's logic. She looked up at those sparkling, now dark cerulean eyes and reached up to caress her cheek. "Touché. Continue please."

***

Zafryna picked at her lunch, her head resting on her hand as she stared blankly at the wall opposite of the big table she was sitting at. She let out a frustrated sigh and pushed her plate away, suddenly not having much of an appetite.

"What's wrong, Zaf?"

"Everything."

Zafryna looked up at the young woman in front of her. She was staring back at her with hazel eyes full of concern.

"Everything can't possibly be wrong, Zaf," the young woman murmured, sitting down in a chair next to the yellow-skinned woman. "Now tell me what's wrong."

"They left me here."

"It isn't the first time they've done this to you."

"I know!" Zafryna hissed. "That's what's making me so fucking angry! They keep doing this to me! They keep putting all this responsibility on my shoulders that I'm not even sure I could take!"

"I'm sure the Great Witch has her reasons—"

"Melena."

The young brunette blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Her name is Melena."

The woman looked at her, her head tilted to the side as she studied the distraught girl. Calmly she reached out to take one of the yellow hands into one of hers.

"Zafryna, listen to me," she whispered. "I know you hate this and your sisters don't make this any easier for you—"

"You got that right," Zafryna snorted.

The woman narrowed her eyes and squeezed her hand. "Are you going to listen to me or not?"

Zafryna sighed and ran her free hand through her pale yellow hair. "I'm sorry, Inett. I'm being such a bitch to you right now. Go ahead."

"Thank you, Zaf," Inett told her and patted her hand. "And trust me, I have my bitchy days too."

Zafryna smiled. Inett was the only one she could talk to in times like this. She was the resident cook and since Zafryna had always been talented in the kitchen, she had given her pointers and the two have grown quite close in the past few years.

Inett then pushed the plate back so it was in front of Zafryna again. "Eat your lunch first, Zaf. You can't possibly reject this delicious pasta you made yourself."

"I'm not hungry," Zafryna mumbled.

"Zaf…"

"Alright, alright. I'll eat it." She forcibly thrust her fork into the creamy white pasta and twirled it, wrapping the long noodles around the metal utensil. She took it out and gave the bite a look of disdain before shoving it whole into her mouth.

"There, happy?" she said to Inett, her mouth full.

"More or less," Inett chuckled. "Now, why don't I go get us some ice cream while you eat that and we'll talk in the kitchen, okay?"

Zafryna nodded, putting another forkful in her mouth.

Inett chuckled and turned around, glad that Zafryna's willing to at least talk to her. She was concerned that her yellow-skinned friend might be closing in herself again; something that must be avoided at all costs. Zafryna had the tendency to become severely depressed and sometimes she would shut down and lock herself in her room with just her looking glass to keep her company. During these times she won't eat or drink anything until she would become dehydrated and there was a case that she had become seriously ill.

Inett turned around, faced Zafryna once again and looked at her straight in the eyes. "When I come back I want to see all of that food gone," she teased her, wagging her finger at the girl.

"Yes, ma'am!" Zafryna gave her a salute and shoved another forkful into her mouth, causing Inett to laugh as she disappeared into the kitchen.

***

Elphaba closed her eyes, breathing in the warm, musky scent of the grass around her. She felt Glinda's soft mumbles against her bare skin as her naked lover nuzzled herself deeper into her chest. Elphaba tightened her protective grip around the girl's shoulder and waist, pulling her closer to her bodice.

"That was amazing," Glinda whispered to her, her voice laced with exhaustion. She snuggled into her Elphie's chest, twirling a strand of her straight, black hair through the fingers of one hand and caressing a green cheek with the other.

"I could say no less, my sweet," Elphaba sighed. "I would ask for a repeat performance, but…"

"Elphaba Thropp, are you asking me to make love to you _again_?"

"No, I'm not _asking_ you. Would begging be more appropriate?"

Glinda suddenly whirled around so quickly that Elphaba didn't have time to react as her love pinned her down to the ground. Glinda gazed into her startled brown eyes, a mischievous gleam in her own blue ones.

"Oh, I'm going to make you _beg_, Elphaba Thropp," she purred, leaning down to nibble under her love's green ear.

Elphaba's only response was to smile wickedly as she succumbed to her desire once again.


	38. Chapter 38

**Woot! Chapter 38 is here~**

**I appreciate all of you who have reviewed this story. It makes me feel special! :P**

**Anyways...enjoy! :D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 38

Razaf had been watching Fiyero sleep on the cot when there was a harsh banging sound on the door. He turned his head to see a silhouette dance across the dim light the cell lantern provided. He straightened his back as a uniformed man came into his cell for the third time today.

He smiled as he recognized who it was instantly. "Well, look who it is. My little brother. Now what did I do for you to grace me with your presence in my cell?"

Commander Rayne rolled his blue-green eyes. "You have been summoned," he mumbled.

Razaf looked around and pointed at himself. "Me?"

Rayne rolled his eyes again and nodded. "Who else, you nitwit?"

Razaf shrugged, wondering what in Oz did they want to do with him. He had no choice but to let his brother shackle him and lead him out of the cell, leaving Fiyero alone.

***

Bolynda looked up when she heard a knock on the door. She had been silently fuming from the time the commander left to now. She scowled at Morrible when she chimed a cheery, "Come in!"

Razaf entered first, then Rayne behind him; holding him by the cuffs. Razaf looked surprised when he saw Bolynda sitting there, his bright green eyes opening wide.

"We meet again," Bolynda muttered under her breath.

Razaf just stared at her as he walked further into the room in front of Morrible. Rayne cast the blue girl a scornful glance as he stood by his brother, a hand kept firmly on his shackles.

"Who are you?" Razaf asked Morrible, his voice laced with condemnation.

"My name does not matter now," Morrible said, interlacing her fingers as she studied the man in front of her. "You may call me Madame if you'd like."

Bolynda watched as Razaf titled his head to the side, showing his confusion. "Why do you want me here?" he asked her.

Morrible smiled and turned to the commander next to him. "Commander, you may take your leave now."

"But—"

"Don't argue with me, commander. I am now your superior."

Rayne looked like he was about to explode, but he reluctantly whirled around and stalked out of the room, slamming the door after him.

Razaf watched this with a rather smug expression on his face. He then turned back to the woman in front of him. "Can you explain to me why I was dragged out of prison?" he asked her.

"Oh, don't tell me you'd rather stay_ there_," Morrible told him, one of her arched eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Of course not!" Razaf shook his head vigorously.

Morrible smiled and leaned back in the chair, all the while her gray eyes trained on Razaf's muscular form. She then glanced at Bolynda, who turned her head away from her.

"Razaf, this is Bolynda," Morrible introduced her.

The man didn't even bother to glance over his shoulder at the girl. "We've already met."

"Ah," Morrible nodded. "Do you know about—"

"Word gets around fast, Madame," Razaf said quietly. "The Emperor was thrown into my cell not too long ago before you summoned me here."

Bolynda looked up at Razaf, the mention of Fiyero sparking her interest. The man just coolly ignored her, his green eyes trained on Morrible.

"I'm surprised you didn't kill him right there and then," Morrible chuckled.

Razaf just stared at her. "I have learned to be patient, Madame." He then noticed the look the woman was giving him. It was a look he has seen many times before.

"I suppose you have heard about my…powers?" the sandy-haired man asked the older woman.

At Razaf's surprising words, Bolynda couldn't help but let out a gasp. _Powers?_ she thought. _He has powers? Like, magical powers?!_

Morrible gave him a smile and leaned forward into the desk. "Yes, and they intrigue me so. Tell me, Bolynda, can you read his mind?"

Bolynda jumped when the woman spoke to her. She looked at her, her blue eyes narrowed.

"Tell me, Bolynda. Remember what I told you."

Razaf turned to Bolynda, his expression unreadable. He furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, his green eyes seemingly more electrifying than ever as his gaze bore straight through the girl like fire.

"N-no," choked Bolynda. "I can't."

Morrible's smile grew bigger. "That's excellent. It seems you cannot read minds of others with rare talent."

Bolynda suddenly thought of Elphaba and how she could barely read her mind without getting a headache. She had felt a certain aura of power when she had tried to penetrate into the green girl's mind, scaring her a little. Was there a possibility that Elphaba possessed some form of rare talent? She didn't mention this as Morrible spoke to Razaf again.

"Do you still loathe the Emperor, Razaf?" she asked him.

"Very much so," the man breathed. "He shouldn't be Emperor. It wasn't his right to ascend into a position he didn't deserve."

Morrible studied Razaf for any sign of lying, but she found none. Her grin widened as she realized this man could be more use to her than Bolynda ever could.

"Can you tell me why I'm here, Madame?" Razaf asked her again, his voice growing low with impatience.

"I would like you to help me with something, Razaf."

"And what would that be?"

Morrible's eyes glittered as she said, "Taking over Oz."

The sandy-haired man blinked, not believing what he was hearing.

"Razaf," the woman said slowly, getting up from the seat she was sitting on. "I understand you have strong feelings on this subject—"

"Why should _I_ help _you_?" Razaf countered, crossing his muscular arms in front of his broad chest.

Morrible's smile wavered, clearly not expecting this question. She then leaned closer to Razaf until she could feel his breath on her face. "Because I could provide you with something you've been wanting for three long years now."

Razaf shifted uncomfortably at Morrible's sudden nearness. "And what would that be?"

"Your freedom."

Razaf's green eyes opened wide. He wasn't too sure what this strange woman wanted from him, but the mention of his freedom had sparked an interest in him. He looked back at Bolynda and frowned as he remembered what Fiyero had told him before he was taken out of his cell.

_We had sex._

Razaf quickly looked back at Morrible, a certain feeling of jealousy churning in his gut. He then reached out his hand to the woman, smiling.

Bolynda felt her heart drop for what seemed like the millionth time as she saw Razaf holding out his hand for Morrible to shake. _Please, Razaf,_ she thought pleadingly. _Please don't do it…for the sake of the Named God please…_

Morrible took the man's offered hand, shaking it vigorously.

"You have a deal."

***

Adagio let out a yawn, suddenly feeling very awake. He opened his eyes and looked around, noticing a black lump in the corner of his eye. He saw two pairs of feet poking out of the cloak, one pale and one green. He rolled his eyes, already knowing what went on while he was asleep.

_So much for getting some rest, huh_? he thought. He slowly got up, stretching his sore limbs one by one. He reached over and nibbled some of the grass that he had flattened with his body, scrunching his nose at the taste.

He glanced at the form of the couple underneath the cloak before looking up at the barely rising sun, his brown eyes blinking sleepily. He then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Next to a smoldering fire there was a roasted hare on a stick.

"They didn't even make it to dinner last night," Adagio mumbled, very surprised. "They must be starved by now. I have to wake them up so they could have a quick breakfast and so we could get an early start."

Suddenly there was a movement underneath the cloak and Elphaba stretched out, stark naked. Adagio's eyes opened wide at the sight of an unclothed Elphaba, his mouth hanging open just a bit.

"Wha's goin' on…?"

Suddenly Elphaba screamed as she noticed Adagio staring at her. She clutched at the cloak, covering herself as Glinda was startled awake, her blue eyes opening wide in fear. She noticed the Horse standing there and she moved closer into her green love, trying to cover herself as much as possible using Frynda's black cloak.

Adagio gave a surprised neigh and turned his head, closing his eyes shut.

"I didn't see anything!" he told them loudly.

"Oh sure you didn't!" Elphaba retorted.

"Oh come off it, Elphie," Glinda told her, her voice still laced with weariness. "He's just a Horse."

"He's not _just_ a Horse, Glinda!" Elphaba was seething. "He should have the decency to avert his eyes and not stare at us like we're some sort of painting to admire!"

"He said he didn't see anything," Glinda defended Adagio.

"Yes," Adagio quickly said, his eyes still closed tightly and ears flattened against his head. "I mean no. Wait, I didn't see anything! I swear!"

He heard Glinda chuckle and Elphaba give a silent curse.

"Gio, could you please leave us alone for a bit so we could get dressed and in Elphie's case, to recover?" Glinda asked him nicely.

"Of course!" he quickly nickered and trotted away, keeping his eyes closed until he was a safe distance away. When he opened them again, he found himself far enough away to graze in peace, his mind still reeling from the sight of a naked woman.

_Wow, that is the weirdest thing I have seen to date_, he thought to himself. _No wonder they wear clothes. If I were a human, I wouldn't even take my clothes off. I'm sure glad I have fur!_

He shivered as he plucked through the grass, unaware of a looming presence not far away from where he stood; gleaming eyes alight with hunger as it silently stalked its prey.

***

"Elphie, we're fine now. He's gone."

Elphaba was still mumbling incoherently as she pushed the cloak off herself after checking that Adagio was indeed a safe distance away from them.

"He shouldn't have seen us like that," she said to Glinda as the blonde collected their clothes from the ground.

"It's not his fault he woke up first," her girlfriend told her reasonably. "And it's our fault we fell asleep the way we did."

Elphaba shook her head. "Fine, I'll let this time slide by. But next time will be just asking for it."

"Oh, my overprotective love," Glinda sighed as she handed Elphaba her clothes. "Get dressed quickly. I have no doubt we scared the hell out of him."

"He_ should_ be scared," Elphaba growled, taking the clothes from her. "Scared of me and what I'll do to him when—"

Glinda hurriedly put a finger to her lips, shushing her. "Repeat after me: It is not Adagio's fault."

"Glinda—"

"Do it."

"Argh. Fine. It is not his fault."

"It is not _whose_ fault?"

"It is not Adagio's fault! Okay?! Happy now?!"

Glinda shook her head. "Nope. Not until I get a proper good morning kiss."

Elphaba obliged her, holding back a bit so they wouldn't end up on the floor again but just enough so her lover grew weak in the knees.

"Mm, that was some good morning kiss," Glinda giggled, her fingertips brushing Elphaba's bare shoulder as she licked her still-tingling lips. "I might ask you to do it again."

"Ask? Why not, as you so aptly put it last night, _beg_?"

Glinda couldn't help but giggle. "Touché, my love. Touché."

They got dressed quickly. Glinda noticed the forgotten, uneaten hare on the ground and her stomach rumbled noisily. She glanced at Elphaba forlornly. The green woman shrugged.

"Your loss."

"We'll get something on the way," Glinda told her simply. "You too, Elphie. You don't run on just air, my love."

"True," Elphaba said, glancing at her now clothed stomach. "For once, I'm hungry. And not just for you, my sweet."

"Oh, Elphie. That's cute, but I'm not breakfast."

"Oh really?" Elphaba whispered, suddenly grabbing her arm and nibbling on it. "Mm, tasty."

Glinda giggled. "Well, last night you _were_ my dinner—"

"So I guess it's only fair that you're my breakfast," Elphaba growled huskily, breathing on Glinda's neck as she pulled her close.

"Okay, okay," Glinda laughed, pulling away from her love. "It still seems _someone's_ still a little worked up from last night. Let's go get Adagio before he thinks we forgot about him."

"Do we _have_ to get the Horse?" Elphaba whined.

"Yes, my love," Glinda chuckled and grabbed her hand. "Don't forget Frynda's cloak and your satchel."

Elphaba bent down to grab the black cloak and used her free hand to put it on herself. Soon she also had her satchel safely secure on her shoulder. She then gave Glinda's hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's go."

Glinda opened her mouth to reply when a sudden racket erupted from somewhere behind them. They whirled around to see a black shape make its way towards them, trampling the grass around it.

They realized it was Adagio as he galloped towards them at high speed. His eyes were opened wide and his nostrils flared as he arrived next to the two girls, his breathing hard and labored.

"What is it, Adagio?" Elphaba asked him quickly, her voice etched with worry.

"W-w-w-w—"

"Gio, calm down!" Glinda told the Horse firmly. "What is it?!"

"_WOLVES!_"

***

Frynda woke up to the sound of a howl. She opened her eyes and came face-to-face with a green nose. She let out a gasp and rolled away, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Sorry," Mantu muttered, backing away a little.

"No, no, it's nothing," Frynda muttered, getting into a kneeling position. She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands and gave Mantu a small smile. "You just scared me, that's all."

Mantu just gave her a curt nod.

"What's all that noise?" Frynda asked him as more howls erupted from somewhere far away.

"Wolves," the elf responded, his voice small. "They sometimes come into the forest, but I've never seen one before. My brothers had told me they are the most bloodthirsty of all the animals in Zo, even more bloodthirsty than Olak."

Frynda gulped and got up, the elf following suit. "We must get a move on, then."

"Yes, we must," Mantu whispered. "Frynda…?"

"What, Mantu?" the red girl asked as she hurriedly brushed out the dried grass from her hair and ripped clothes. She grumbled as she realized she must look like a disaster. She had never wished for a nice, hot bath more than now.

"Are we friends now?"

Frynda blinked and stopped what she was doing. She turned around and faced the elf, a brow raised. "Mantu…?"

"Are we, Frynda? This is important to me."

"Um…sure...I guess…"

Mantu closed his eyes, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

"You're right. I don't," Frynda muttered. "As a matter of fact, I don't know much about you at all. Let's just go. These wolves are getting annoying."

Mantu nodded and watched Frynda disappear into the grass. A small smile appeared on his face as he followed her, never having felt so peaceful, so…_happy_ in his short life.

And all because of this red girl he now called his friend.

***

"Mm, this ice cream is good."

"Isn't it? I learned the recipe from my mother. She was the greatest ice cream maker in all of Zo. We used to have ice cream talks like this back when I lived with her, back before she…"

Zafryna placed a hand on Inett's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry, Inett. We don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"No," the brunette said, squaring her shoulders. "I want to talk. Now, tell me what's on your mind, Zaf."

"Why my mother lied to me all these years," Zafryna admitted, playing with the spoon in her hand.

"She probably had a good reason," Inett told her, leaning against the stove.

Zafryna sighed and closed her eyes. "I just can't help but feel betrayed, as if I was just a pawn in a big game of chess."

"You said you have other siblings?" Inett asked her. "How many?"

"Three others. One was the green girl you saw earlier, another girl and some sixteen-year-old boy."

"That's six children all together. Why so many?" Inett breathed, suddenly feeling very glad she was an only child.

Zafryna shrugged as she placed a spoon of vanilla ice cream in her mouth. "Who knows?" she asked after she swallowed. "It's not like she was lonely or anything."

"Oh, I bet she had plenty of company," Inett giggled. Zafryna couldn't help but giggle along with the younger brunette.

"Inett," Zafryna suddenly asked, playing with her spoon again.

"Yes, Zaf?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

***

The last thing Melena remembered was that she was on a horse. Now, she wasn't.

At least she didn't _think _she was. Her eyes opened into slits, her eyesight hazy and unclear. She felt strangely lightheaded and she groaned as she felt a dull ache in her abdomen.

"Shh, hun, you don't want to agitate that more than you already have."

It was a woman's voice laced thickly with an accent Melena could only recognize as pure Munchkin. She forced herself to close her eyes, her world going black again. She didn't let herself lose consciousness, however. Her ears were still keen as she heard rustling from somewhere to her right.

She heard a tsk-tsking and a flapping noise. She then felt something cold press against her stomach again and she let out a pained groan.

"Now if that bleedin' ain't gonna stop soon I'm gonna have to call for the apothecary."

Melena then felt a slight pressure on her wound and it took her her all to keep from crying out in pain.

"Oh dear, it seems this ain't gonna clear up soon. Are you awake, hun?"

Melena, her eyes still closed shut, gave whoever it was a small nod.

"Well you just listen to me, sweetie. Listen, everything's gonna be alright, m'kay?"

"Am I going to die?" Melena whispered, her voice feeble.

"I certainly hope not, hun. I will pray to the Unnamed God for you."

Melena shook her head, still not opening her eyes. "No, don't do that."

"What are you sayin'—"

"Is it bad?" Melena interrupted her, feeling the woman's hands on her stomach, applying gentle pressure to her still bleeding wound.

"You've been shot. I suggest that you stay here for a while before goin' on the road again."

"Where's my horse?"

"Are you listenin' to me?!"

Melena forced herself to open her eyelids, staring straight into a pair of green eyes. The girl standing in front of her was no more than fifteen years old, her ginger hair tied back into a ponytail and brown freckles standing out against her pale skin.

"Now you jus' listen to me, missy," the girl hissed at her, waggling a finger in her face. "I reckon you ain't goin' to make this any easier for me so let me set the record straight. You are goin' to stay here whether you like it or not. You hearin' me, miss?"

"You don't know who I am," Melena snarled at her, her hands gripping the white sheets underneath her. She was lying on a small bed she was clearly too big for.

"No but I would like to get to know you if you jus' give me the chance," the girl said, placing her hands on her hips. She was wearing a light blue blouse, denim jeans and a plaid apron.

"But I am a complete stranger," Melena argued.

The girl gave her a toothy grin. "Not anymore. I met you, you met me. Now we know each other. It's as simple as that."

"I have to go," Melena told her, making a move to get up from the bed. The girl hurriedly grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Let me go!" the pale woman growled and pulled free from the younger girl's grasp. She then gave a gasp as sharp stabs of pain made their way through her body.

"Fine," the girl said, backing away from the infuriated woman. "Suit yourself. You can bleed to death. See if I care."

Melena pulled out a bloodied rag that had been placed on her wound and tossed it aside. She slid out of the bed, stumbling a bit before catching herself on the bedpost.

"Need help?"

"Shut up." Melena made her way towards the door, her vision swimming from the blood loss. She then let out a loud curse as she stubbed her toe against a heavy trunk on the floor, her head starting to pound from her overall weariness.

"Uh, miss…?"

"What the hell do you want _now?_" Melena hissed, whirling around to face the girl.

"Your skin's fallin' off."

Melena froze and followed the girl's finger to the ground where she could see thin, paper-like fragments scattered all over the wood floor. She felt her knees buckle as she turned her head to look at the mirror next to her.

Her face was hideous, cracks lining her every facial feature as if she was some statue disintegrating right before her eyes. Olive skin clashed with pale as her skin slowly peeled away, exposing her aged, natural skin underneath the pale she had kept it under for almost fifteen years now. She felt her vision swim and before she knew it she fainted, her head connecting with the floor with a deafening _'thump'_.


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey, everyone~**

**I know you guys are out there. Why aren't you reviewing? –pouts and then quickly recomposes herself-**

**Sorry for going all Glinda on you. I want to say a big thank-you to all of you who have reviewed consistently (ghostly bender and RealityInMyDreams, this is you). **

**Oh, and congratulations to whoever gets the 100****th**** review. You must feel special. :P**

**(P.S. When you guys are bored or something, click on the homepage link on my profile to see my deviantArt account. I posted something new there you guys would like. :P)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 39

Elphaba didn't waste any time clambering on top of the Horse and practically throwing Glinda behind her. A howl ripped through the air as a brown shape exploded from the grass, jaws salivating and claws extended, ready for the kill. The wolf was larger than any other kind of canine Elphaba had seen before and her mind whirled with the possible thought of it being a Wolf.

Her thoughts were erased quickly as the wolf let out another earsplitting howl, sending chills down her spine.

Adagio let out a panicked neigh as the brown wolf advanced, its fur bristling wildly. Glinda screamed and tightened her hold on Elphaba's waist, burying her face against her lover's back. Elphaba herself felt her heart race as Adagio stood there, transfixed, unable to move.

The wolf barked as it circled its prey, its tongue licking its sharp teeth as it calculated how far it would have to jump in order to tackle the Horse and bring down his tenderizing passengers.

"Adagio! Run!" Elphaba screamed as a second wolf joined its partner. This one was bigger than the other and had gray fur and beady yellow eyes.

"I…can't…move…" the Horse breathed as the wolves came ever closer, their jaws opening for the surefire bite.

"Oh, I'm going to make you_ fucking_ move," Elphaba muttered under her breath and used both her legs to kick Adagio's side, causing him to rear up in both pain and astonishment. The wolves backed away, startled by the Horse's sudden movement. The black Horse's hooves thumped against the ground once again, sending a flurry of dried grass into the air.

Without another second to spare, he split from the scene, the wolves running after him at full speed.

"Wait, wait!"

One of the Wolves held back. The gray Wolf called to his partner again but to no avail. He shrugged and sniffed the air for that scent he had caught in the air while he was circling the Horse and the humans. He looked around and noticed the dead hare on the ground.

"So this is what we had scented last night," he muttered to himself as he stalked towards the appetizing snack. He then looked back to where his partner had disappeared. Looking back at the hare on the stick, he licked his fangs again.

"This might not be much, but it'll do for now."

Hungrily he tore at the meat, his voracious appetite getting the better of him and soon he had eaten everything but the stick. He lay there and waited for his partner to return, knowing a Wolf couldn't outrun a Horse for long, especially a Stallion such as the one he had seen.

He then thought of the humans on the Horse's back, thinking of what lovely meals they would be if that particular one hadn't been green…

"That's too bad," he said to himself as he rolled unto his back and enjoyed the morning sun. "I don't particularly like to eat vegetables."

***

"It's gone."

"What?" Elphaba yelled over Adagio's thundering hooves.

"I said _it's gone!_" Glinda screamed.

Adagio slowed down, his limbs feeling like they were on fire. He forced himself to stop and turn around, watching the pointed ears of the brown Wolf over the tall grass disappear as it retreated back into the grass once again.

The Horse's nostrils flared as he took in each deep breath, the run clearly winding him more than he had thought.

"Adagio, you stupid yet incredible Horse, you did it again," Elphaba breathed, patting the Horse's neck. "You saved us."

"I nearly didn't!" gasped Adagio. "I don't what had come over me back there! If you hadn't—"

"Shh, Adagio," Elphaba whispered to him reassuringly. "That doesn't matter anymore. Glinda, are you okay back there?"

"I'm fine," the blonde mumbled into her lover's shirt, still quite shaken by the encounter.

"Then let us off here, Adagio," Elphaba told him.

"What? Are you nuts?!" the Horse protested. "They could still be out there, you know!"

Elphaba smiled and patted his neck again. "Trust me, Adagio. I'm going to give you something I should have given you earlier."

The green woman quickly jumped off his back as the Horse asked,

"What?"

Elphaba helped an equally bewildered Glinda dismount, the blonde's shoes lightly touching the ground before her green love released her. "What are you talking about, Elphie?" she asked her.

Elphaba kept that small smile on her face as she took off her satchel and placed it on the ground at Adagio's hooves. The Horse backed away a little, staring at her curiously.

"Tell me!" Adagio pleaded with her. "I'm no good with surprises."

"Unfortunately she isn't also," Elphaba chuckled as Glinda hovered over her shoulder. She gently swatted the blonde away as she took out the Grimmerie from the satchel.

"What are you going to do, Elphie?" Glinda asked her in that soft, sweet voice that brought Elphaba to her knees every time. Not this time, however.

"You'll see," hummed the green woman as she opened the ancient spell book, fingering through the pages. "If only I remembered where it was…"

"Oh, are you going to do a spell?" Glinda asked her, clapping her hands excitedly.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "No, I'm going to sing."

"Really? Wait…huh?"

"Of course I'm going to cast a spell, Glinda."

Glinda let out a pout and crossed her arms. "Well, you don't have to be sarcastic, you mean green thing."

"Sorry, it's just part of my wicked charm that you love so much."

Glinda then wrapped her arms around her lover's shoulders and pressed her cheek against the flowing black hair. "And I _do_ love it, my sarcastic yet adorable love."

Adagio coughed. "I'm still here, you know. And I would like to know why you are casting a spell on me. Not that I'm afraid or…anything."

Elphaba smiled up at the Horse, her brown eyes glinting. "Are you scared, Adagio?"

"When you are smiling up at me like that I can't help it. It's creepy."

"Just tell him, Elphie," Glinda told her. "I'm—I mean _he's_—dying to know what your surprise is."

Elphaba pressed her hand against the purple pages of the Grimmerie, her green fingers tracing the ancient text as she reread the incantation for the third time in her life now. She then looked up at Adagio, the idea she had yesterday while they had been riding through the grass forming in her mind as she pictured what was about to happen.

"Adagio, would you like to learn how to fly?"

***

The Horse took a step back, not sure if he had heard correctly. "Excuse me?"

"Elphie," Glinda warned. "You mustn't."

Elphaba stood up, the blonde following suit. The green woman then grabbed her love's dainty hands in hers, looking deep into her worried blue eyes. "Everyone deserves the chance to fly," she whispered.

"But, Elphie—"

"Adagio," Elphaba interrupted the blonde. She turned to the Horse and put a hand on his snout. "Have you ever wanted to fly?"

The black Stallion looked at her, his brown eyes narrowing as he thought. "Yeah…I've thought about it once or twice. Why?"

"Well, I could give you your wings."

"I'm not following you. What do you mean?"

"I could use the Levitation Spell to literally _give_ you wings. That is, if you don't mind."

"Gio," Glinda told the obviously confused Horse. "You don't have to. It's just Elphie's way of repaying you for the kindness you have showed us. It's a very painful spell."

Adagio gulped. "_Painful?_"

Elphaba shrugged. "There's no sense in lying to you. Yeah, there's pain involved."

"How _much _pain?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I've only performed this on monkeys and a broom. The monkeys had screeched a lot and the broom; well…it's a broom."

Adagio furrowed his brows, clearly deep in thought about this.

"You don't have to make the decision now, Gio." Glinda ran her hands through his black mane, trying to soothe the Horse's convoluted feelings the best way she could. "There's—"

"I'll do it."

Glinda blinked in surprise. "What?"

Adagio turned his head towards Elphaba and flicked his ears forward. "I'll do it. I've always wanted to know what clouds felt like."

Elphaba chuckled.

Glinda hugged Adagio's neck, her worry for him obvious. "Are you sure?" she asked him, her voice muffled by his black fur.

"Yeah," the Horse replied, swishing his tail at her touch. "I trust Elphaba and if she thinks this is a good thing for me…then so be it."

Elphaba blinked, obviously taken aback by the Horse's words. _He trusts me,_ she thought. _Nobody except Glinda has ever trusted me like that before._

Glinda then removed herself from Adagio's side, sniffling.

"Why are you crying?" the Horse asked the blonde as Elphaba bent down towards the Grimmerie once again, preparing to perform the spell.

"I…I just can't help but remember the monkeys…and the screeching…"

"Horses don't screech, Blondie," Adagio chuckled. "And don't worry; Elphie will make sure everything's going to be okay, right Elphie?"

"Call me Elphie one more time and wings aren't going to be the only things I give you," was all the green woman mumbled from her place by the Grimmerie.

Glinda just shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest, wondering Elphaba's real reason to give the Horse the power of flight. _What's going on through that thick skull of hers_? she thought.

The rustling of the tall grass was all they heard for a few moments before Elphaba started to chant, her hands moving over the Grimmerie in haphazard patterns. Glinda flinched as Adagio let out a surprised nicker, his hooves starting to stomp the earth under him.

The blonde forced herself to turn away as the Horse began to let out strangled neighs of pain, his muscular body starting to twitch and convulse. She closed her eyes shut, not wanting to see what she was sure was pure agony.

Elphaba's chanting continued for a painstaking few minutes, the green woman occasionally looking up to see if her spell was going to way it was supposed to. It was.

A sudden light burst through the clearing, scaring away a couple of birds that were nearby. Adagio reared up on his hind legs, letting a loud bellow as a pair of massive raven black wings suddenly sprouted from his shoulders.

Elphaba stopped her chanting and backed away, awed and a little frightened by what she had created. Adagio's hooves came back to the ground with a loud 'thump', his newly created wings sending up a cloud of dried grass and dust into the air. He flapped the new appendages, his brown eyes opening in shock.

"Is it safe to look now?" Glinda asked them, her eyes still squeezed shut.

"Oh my Oz," Elphaba breathed.

"Well, is it?" Glinda snapped, her voice clipped.

"Yes, yes," the green woman growled, a bit irritated with her sensitive love. The blonde turned around and opened her eyes, her hands flying to her mouth as she took in the sight of the majestic winged Horse in front of her.

"Are t-t-they really that b-b-bad?" Adagio stammered, his long head turning to the side as he tried to get a good view of his newly acquired wings.

"No, they're…beautiful…" Elphaba breathed. "Adagio, are you okay?"

"I've never felt better, actually," the Horse admitted, flexing the newly acquired muscles on his shoulders. "Wow! Just look at them!"

"I am," Glinda whispered, even though he wasn't speaking to her.

"_We_ are," Elphaba corrected her. She then got up from the ground and reached out a hand to pat Adagio's nose. "May I?" she asked hesitantly.

The Horse then suddenly shoved his snout against the woman's chest, surprising her so much she almost fell down with the weight of his head.

"Oh thank you, thank you, Elphaba!" he cried.

Elphaba laughed as she wrapped her arms around the Horse's neck in a hug. "You're welcome, Adagio. Did it hurt?"

"Like hell," Adagio admitted. "I want to fly. Can I? Please?"

Glinda walked up to them as Elphaba let out a chuckle. "If you feel like you're up to it," the green woman answered him. "Do you even know how to—"

He was gone before she could even finish her question. They watched the Horse as he flew up towards the clouds, hearing his excited yell as he soared through the sky, his black wings stretched out like a bird.

"Sweet Oz, Elphie," Glinda whispered to her love and took her arm in hers. "I think you've created a monster."

Elphaba could only laugh as they watched their friend's black shape move in and out of clouds.

They didn't notice the beady eyes watching them; yellow eyes widening in shock at what they had just witnessed. The brown Wolf then took off, his brown bushy tail waving in the air as he ran back toward his partner.

***

Razaf yawned as stretched, never recalling a time when he had slept this good. He turned in the bed, his eyes blinking sleepily. He then opened them wide, suddenly remembering where he was. He was at the Emperor's Palace, sleeping in his room.

He sat up in the bed, his green eyes darting around as he took in the room. It was a pure emerald green color, just like the rest of the Green Palace. He couldn't help but smirk as he thought this was the way it was supposed to be.

Something near the Emperor's closet caught his eye. It was one of the uniforms only someone of the great Oz's status will wear. He couldn't help but get out of the bed and walk towards it, reaching out a hand to finger the green fabric of the sleeve.

"You can wear that for now,"

The voice behind him made him jump and he turned around, coming face-to-face with Morrible.

"Sweet Oz, you scared me," Razaf breathed, clutching his chest. He felt his rapidly beating heart against the thin fabric of his nightshirt.

Morrible gave him a crooked smile. "Good."

Razaf was about to ask what she meant when she spoke again,

"How was your night?"

"Better than others," replied Razaf, watching her as she touched the uniform jacket with a wrinkled finger.

"Wear it," she told him. "I'm sure you will look dashing with green. It matches your eyes." Without another word she swept out of the room, leaving a bewildered Razaf behind.

***

"Take a picture. It'll last longer."

Bolynda narrowed her eyes at the uniformed man in front of her. He forced his eyes away from her lying form, fixing his hat nervously. She sighed and looked up towards the ceiling above her, counting the tiles for what seemed like the hundredth time.

She felt the shackles dig into her wrists as she twisted her hands, trying to get some feeling back into them. She then gave up, knowing she couldn't possibly free herself without her magic. And she needed her hands for that.

She had lain there in the cot like that for the last night. She had gotten in a few hours of sleep, but she would always wake up when a guard would come into her room to take over the post of the other. This particular one was getting on her nerves. His thoughts weren't very pleasant to read.

"Could you stop staring at me?" Bolynda hissed at him. "I'm sure your wife wouldn't appreciate it."

The guard opened his eyes wide, wondering how the blue girl knew about his wife. Just then there was a knock at the door. He hurriedly turned around and opened it, glad for a reprieve from the blue witch.

Morrible sauntered into the room, her deep purple dress dragging on the floor as she walked towards the cot where Bolynda currently lay, her wrists and ankles tied to the bed posts.

"Ugh. This is a great way to start a day," Bolynda muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Good morning," Morrible said cheerily, apparently not hearing Bolynda's sarcastic comment. "How was your night?"

"I've had better," the blue girl retorted. "Say, how was yours?"

Morrible blinked, clearly not expecting this question. "Busy with my plans to take over Oz. I have no time to waste on sleep, dearie. I use a simple Energy Spell on myself to give me that little extra boost I need throughout the night. I suppose you slept a little?"

"As much as I could with men constantly staring at me. It could get a bit uncomfortable, you know. Not that _you_ would know how it felt."

Morrible laughed, apparently catching Bolynda's insult. "Have you forgotten already, dearie?"

Bolynda turned her head away, the shackles clinking noisily as she clenched her hands into fists. "No."

"Good, I'm so glad I don't have to threaten you again. It's quite taxificating." Morrible then grinned widely. "Are you up for another little show today, dearie?"

"Don't you think Oz will run out of eggs soon?" Bolynda mumbled.

"Oh no, I just need you to show your pretty little blue face to the crowd and then just leave the rest to me."

"That's what you said last time before all of Oz's poultry pelted us with eggs."

"It doesn't hurt anyone to try again. Well…except you."

Bolynda rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"Well, I must go and see to Razaf, dearie. You ought to see him. He looks simply divine in a uniform."

Bolynda tried hard not to retch as the older woman turned to the guard next to her. After exchanging a few quiet words with him, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

***

Frynda was walking ahead when Mantu let out a gasp.

"What is it, Mantu?" she asked tiredly, not bothering to look back.

"I…I think I see a flying horse!"

"Oh, Mantu," the red girl sighed. "I'm tired enough, okay? I don't need this."

"I'm serious! Look!"

Frynda just shook her head, her auburn hair swishing from side to side with each shake. She didn't want to look for Mantu's imaginary flying horse. That would just waste time she just couldn't _afford_ to waste. Just to add the icing onto the cake, she didn't even know if she was heading in the right _direction_.

All she knew was that the sooner they got out of this Plain, the better. The grass was starting to make her feel claustrophobic.

Mantu looked up at the sky once again; a bit irritated that Frynda thought he was imagining things. The elf could swear he saw the mottled shape of a winged horse among the clouds, but then again…horses don't fly.

He shook his head and continued following his red-skinned companion, ignoring the horse in the clouds…

…for now.


	40. Chapter 40

**Forty chapters already?! Oh my Oz, ten more and this story will have fifty chapters in total! 8D**

**(P.S: I have thirteen more chapters written and ready to be published. ;D)**

**P.P.S: I've met this wicked-awesome girl on deviantART who's penname is WickedRyu. You should totally check out her artwork. :D**

**(She's probably reading this now. Lol, hi! -waves-) xP**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 40

Melena was back on the bed again, this time with a cold cloth draped over her forehead. She forced her eyes to open, her head feeling like it had been used as a punching bag. She looked around the simple room, taking in the pale yellowness of the walls and the overall lack of windows. That's what told her she was in a Munchkin house.

In a rush it all came back to her. She let out a groan and looked down at her abdomen which was now carefully bandaged and cleared of blood. Her black shirt had been torn off completely from her midriff to her waist.

"Well, look who decided to come 'round."

Melena looked to her right, seeing the red-headed girl. The girl strode to her bedside, her hair no longer in a ponytail but now cascading down her shoulders like a fiery waterfall. She smiled at Melena and patted her hand. The pale woman didn't fail to notice the numerous cracks that lined the skin on her arms and she briefly wondered how the rest of her looked.

"How are you feelin'?" the girl asked sincerely.

"Just chipper," Melena grumbled sarcastically. "Why are you bothering to help me?"

"Well jus' look at you," the girl retorted, removing her hand. "It would be a sin not to help someone in need."

"I'm not in need," Melena argued.

"That's hogwash, miss. You fainted on my floor jus' a couple of minutes ago and here you are sayin' you don't need my help."

If Melena could cross her arms she would, but her intense pain prevented her from doing so. She knew the girl had a point.

"So, what's your name?" the red-headed girl asked her, smiling.

"Jaslyn," Melena answered, still using her alias. If this girl was a Munchkin, she was bound to know who Melena was, even though she looked like she was too young to know.

"No way," the girl suddenly squeaked, startling Melena.

"What? What's the matter?"

"That's _my_ name!"

Melena just stared at her, her gray eyes opening wide.

"What a coincidence!" the real Jaslyn said. "You reckon we knew each other in the past or somethin', Jaslyn?"

"I don't know," whispered Melena, studying the girl in front of her. It was strange that she had used the same name that the girl had. It wasn't a very common name in Munchkin.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door of the room. Jaslyn got up from her place at the edge of the bed, gave Melena a small smile and walked towards the door. She opened it and a young Munchkin man came into the room.

"Her name is Jaslyn, like me!" the red-headed girl told him quickly, her voice high in excitement. "Can you believe it?"

The Munchkinlander turned to look at Melena, a dark brow raised. "Really?"

Jaslyn nodded, clearly still thrilled about sharing her name with someone else.

"Well," the boy sighed, obviously not caring much about the younger girl's enthusiasm. "I've got that horse tied up in the back. What do you want to do with it?"

"Leave it alone," Melena suddenly hissed. "That's _my_ horse."

Jaslyn gave the pale woman a quick glance before replying, "Leave it alone for now, Dev. She honestly thinks she could ride a horse in her condition."

The Munchkinlander named Dev looked at Melena, a strange glint in his blue eyes. "Really? Have you looked in the mirror lately, miss?"

Melena was about to send a scathing retort his way when Jaslyn raised a hand to stop her. "Don't remind her, Dev. I don't need her passin' out on me again."

"Whatever, Jas. _You're_ the one who insisted on helpin' her in the first place. Don't come cryin' to me when she leaves." Without another word, Dev was gone, shutting the door behind him.

Melena rolled her gray eyes as Jaslyn let out a heavy sigh, picking at her apron.

"That was my brother," Jaslyn told her. "He's not very friendly towards strangers."

"So I've noticed," Melena muttered. She gave the younger girl a side-glance, her gray eyes narrowing. "I guess I'm going to have to work to get rid of you."

Jaslyn smiled and leaned back, tossing her ginger-colored hair over her shoulder in the process. "Go ahead. I've got all day."

***

The Wolf pelted through the grassland, his brown fur brushing against the tall grass as he made his way towards the place where he had left his partner behind. Sure enough, he spotted the gray Wolf slumbering on the patch of flattened grass the humans had used as a 'camp' last night.

"Wake up, you dolt!" the brown Wolf barked, causing the other to startle awake.

The bigger Wolf groggily got up and shook his gray fur, sending bits of dried grass into the air. "Wha' do you want?" he slurred to his partner.

"We must go, Turak. We have to follow the humans."

"Do we have to, Sorin?" Turak whined. "I've just finished a rather nice snack. If I lift another paw I might as well collapse."

"You lazy bastard," Sorin snarled, his fur starting to bristle. "I don't know why the Wizard ever considered you and I compatible partners. You are _nothing_ like me."

Turak sighed, used to this type of verbal abuse from his fellow Wolf. "They have a Horse, Sorin. You just discovered for yourself that you couldn't outrun it. How do you suppose we go after them if we can't outrun them?"

Sorin furrowed his furry brows, deep in thought. "The fool has a point for once," the brown Wolf muttered to himself, remembering the way he had seen the Horse grow wings and fly. He shook his head, still not believing what he had witnessed.

"Why are these humans so important?" Turak asked him. "I thought the one we were after was the Horse."

"True, but something I have seen made me change our plans."

"What did you see?"

"The humans gave the Horse the power of flight," Sorin told his partner. "The green one, actually. The other just sort of…stood there."

"The power of flight?" Turak asked, clearly taken by surprise. "You don't mean…?"

"Yes, you twit. The Horse has wings and can fly."

"But that's…that's impossible!"

Sorin pawed at the dirt impatiently. "Clearly not."

He then turned his head, staring straight into Turak's yellow eyes. "We must go to the Wizard and tell him about this."

"You're the boss," Turak sighed.

Sorin nodded and took off into the direction of the Animal Village, where he was sure his master still was. The Evil Wizard never left without his loyal Wolves by his side.

Turak had no choice but to follow him, the sound of his paws hitting the ground fading into the background as the shapes of the Wolves disappeared into the tall grass.

***

"Okay, Adagio, you can land now."

Elphaba patted the Horse's neck, secretly glad that he had chosen to fly low to the ground. She felt Glinda's death grip tighten on her waist.

"Glinda, we're almost to the ground now," the green woman tried to soothe her frightened lover.

"Don't tell me _that!_" the blonde cried into the wind. "Just tell me when we're back on solid ground again!"

Adagio let out an amused nicker as he let his newly acquired wing muscles relax, allowing himself and the passengers he carried to drift lower and lower to the ground. They had left the Big Plain a few minutes ago and now they were above a rather hilly countryside. He could see the faint shape of a faraway village and his ears flicked forward.

"Look, Elphie," Adagio said. "Do you see what I see?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, already used to the Horse calling her by that name. She then focused ahead, noting the rather blotched shape that appeared on the horizon. _It's some sort of town or village_, she thought.

"Head there, Adagio. I have a strange feeling about it."

"Are these feelings of yours to be trusted?" Adagio asked, sounding doubtful.

"Um…most of the time."

Adagio decided to go with Elphaba's gut and he flew towards the incoming village, his big black wings flapping vigorously then spreading apart in a soft glide.

"Elphie, are we almost there yet?" Glinda's voice was small.

"Not yet, my sweet," Elphaba answered her softly, trying to be as reassuring as she could.

"This is no different than that retched broom of yours, you know," Glinda muttered against her lover's black shirt.

"Remind me when we get home to try out your bubble," Elphaba told her. "I bet it is no different from this."

Glinda shifted as she replied hotly, "At least it's _gentle!"_

"Am I not gentle enough for you, my dear?" Adagio asked her, overhearing the conversation. "I've only been flying for…let's see…half a day now?"

"Sorry, Gio," Glinda mumbled. "I'm being a whiny brat…like always."

"No, my sweet, you aren't," Elphaba quickly defended her. "You're just not used to this type of flight. I would never, _ever_, think of you as a whiny brat."

"I second that," Adagio piped up, feeling as if his input would be beneficiary in quelling the blonde's fears.

"Aw, Elphie, Gio," Glinda said. "That was so sweet."

"Now, when we are home, though," Elphaba added lightly, "_that's_ a different matter altogether…"

Glinda loosened her grip a bit to slap her lover's arm playfully. "You know that's not true, Elphie!"

"Okay, you got me. _I'm_ the whiny one there."

Both Glinda and Adagio laughed as the Horse lowered them towards the ground. It was a rather rough landing, but soon they were all on solid ground again. Both of the women slid off of Adagio's back and faced a rather simple hut made out of dried logs and assorted leaves. Others like it surrounded them, but this one seemed like it was the biggest one of all.

"This seems like some sort of village," Elphaba said, scratching the back of her head. "And if my conclusions are correct, this must be the lead hut."

"Elphie, are you sure?" Glinda asked her, tugging on the sleeve on her arm like a little girl.

"I say go for it," Adagio commented, nudging Elphaba's shoulder. "I'll wait out here for you."

Elphaba nodded, squaring her shoulders as she faced the large structure. Glinda clung to her arm, the blonde's heart racing in anticipation.

"Stay here," the green woman whispered to the blonde.

"No, Elphie. I'm going with you."

"Glinda, this is not the time to argue. Stay here please." Elphaba shrugged off Glinda's grip and she walked forward a few steps. Her blonde love made a move to follow her, but she lifted a green hand, stopping her.

"Elphie…"

Elphaba turned to face Adagio, giving him a stern look. "Make sure she stays."

Without another word, she turned on her heel, the cape billowing behind her for dramatic effect.

"Ugh, you stubborn woman!" she heard Glinda yell after her.

Elphaba couldn't help but smirk as she made her way to the hut. She glanced up at the large, ornate drape that covered the entrance, wondering whether or not she should announce herself. Deciding she shouldn't, she lifted a hand to part the drape, revealing a dim-lighted interior.

Carefully she stepped inside, her eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness as the drape fluttered closed behind her.

"Well, look who has decided to show up."

Elphaba's senses immediately went on high alert. She had recognized that voice instantly. That was the voice that had haunted her dreams for years now.

There, cloaked in darkness, was the one man that she vowed never to see again. The one man that had ruined her life. That one man was…

…the Wizard.

***

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Inett. Have you ever been in love?"

Inett stared at the girl in front of her, her jaw hanging in surprise. She then abruptly closed it when she realized Zafryna was serious. "W-well, what k-kind of a question is that?" she stuttered.

"A simple one, really," Zafryna muttered, picking at her half-eaten ice cream. "Actually, not that simple. Inett, I have to confess something to you."

Inett nodded vigorously. "Sure, Zaf. You know you can tell me anything."

"Can I tell you I'm in love?"

"Sure you can tell me—wait. Did you just say what I _thought_ you just said?" Inett had to put her empty bowl on the stove so she wouldn't drop it out of sheer surprise.

Zafryna blushed and nodded. "I know it's all of a sudden—"

"You _think?_" Inett squeaked. "Who is he? Do I know him?"

Zafryna frowned and placed her bowl next to Inett's. "That's the problem. _I_ don't even know him."

"By the Named God, Zafryna."

"I know, I know."

Inett couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was it possible that Zafryna had actually fallen in love with someone she didn't even know the name to…? It was too unreal to believe.

"Follow me upstairs," Zafryna told her quickly, taking her hand. "I'll show you."

Inett couldn't help but to be dragged by the yellow-skinned woman all the way up the stairs, wondering if Zafryna was finally losing it.

***

"Fellow Ozians,"

"What do you want _now?_" groaned a voice from the audience.

Morrible fixed her dress self-consciously, feeling the scathing eyes of the crowd on her and the blue girl next to her. Bolynda looked bored as she stood next to the older woman, her hands shackled behind her back.

"I suppose you all were informed on what had transpired yesterday evening?" Morrible asked them rhetorically. "In that case, I want to assure you that all of it is taken care of by the capable hands of your Press Secretary—"

"We want details!" the same man who had spoken earlier cried out. "We want to know what's going on!"

Murmurs of agreement rose from his fellow Ozians around him.

"Tell us about our Emperor!"

"What has the witch done to our Great Emperor?"

"Where is he?"

Morrible raised her hands to quell the ever-increasing volume of the crowd. Within a few moments they were silenced.

Bolynda could feel the tension in the air like an overwhelming fog. She scanned the crowd under her, feeling their blood-curdling glares and reading their hateful minds—all of which were aimed towards the color of her skin and her assumed witchery.

"Our Emperor done something very wrong, fellow Ozians," Morrible proceeded to explain. "The captain of the guard has been slain by his very own hand."

There was an explosion of gasps and screams from the mass of people. It took Morrible her all to yell above the crowd, "Calm down and let me speak! For Oz's sake, settle down!"

Bolynda couldn't help but to smirk in satisfaction.

_It sounds as if she's speaking to a classroom full of kids_, she thought. _Not her 'fellow Ozians'. She has absolutely_ no _control over them. _

Soon the crowd quieted down once more, enraged that this woman would accuse their leader so.

"There!" Morrible huffed and gripped the microphone in her hand, moving it closer to her mouth so her already loud voice could be amplified further into the square full of people. "I have ample proof of this. You see her there!"

She pointed to Bolynda and a whole round of shrieks erupted from the crowd. "Our Magic Grand Vizier was the one who bewitched him in the first place! I had trusted her and she betrayed us all!"

"Kill her!" someone screamed. "Kill the witch!"

Bolynda felt a shiver of fear run down her spine as she realized this could be the end for her. Morrible was going to try and kill her. She was going to kill her in front of all of Oz, proving she was some sort of hero for them. She closed her eyes, waiting for something to happen.

"Be patient, good people of Oz," Morrible said, surprising them all, including Bolynda. "Our dear Emperor is under a very meticulous spell. If she dies, he does to. I need to keep her alive for the time being."

_Liar!_ Bolynda wanted to scream, but she knew she couldn't. Not when she had Fiyero's death hanging over her head.

"He is currently put under heavy surveillance and medication," Morrible continued to explain. "As long as they're apart, he will recoverfy from her spell. I come here today to tell you that I am temporarily taking over the Emperor's position in his absence."

Then there was silence. The people in the crowd looked at each other, not sure what to make of this. Morrible then lowered her head.

"I am very sorry for the loss of our good Captain Avaric. He will be missed. A funeral procession will take place in this Palace this very afternoon and those who want to attend may. That is all for now and have a good day."

"Wait a clock-tick!" a voice called out from the crowd. "Where's _she_ going to go?"

Heads turned to Bolynda, eyes narrowed at her blue skin and mouths turned into scowls of disgust. The blue girl forced herself to shut them and their hateful thoughts away, focusing instead on the next words that would come out of Morrible's mouth.

"In Southstairs, where she belongs."

Without another word, Morrible left the balcony, dragging the shackled Bolynda with her. The crowd dispersed, more confused than ever. What was going on?

It seemed no one knew but Morrible herself.

***

Razaf watched this all from behind the balcony's doors, nervously fixing the collar of his green uniform jacket. He knew Morrible would want to keep him a secret for now, but he couldn't help but think he should be recognized for helping her in this insane plan of hers.

His brother stepped up beside him, his blue-green eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what she thinks of you, Razaf," Rayne snarled quietly, startling him out of his reverie. "She thinks you're useful."

"Apparently I am," Razaf answered, his deep voice clipped. "I just don't know what she wants to do with me and my powers."

"Ugh, those stupid powers again," Rayne muttered. "I'm not sure why mother even bothered with you. You were always the strange one."

"You're just jealous, Rayne." Razaf smiled as he saw his brother's eye twitch. "You're just jealous she liked me better than you."

"Don't start this again," Rayne hissed. "She just liked you better because you could perform a little show when you're angry."

Razaf raised a brow. "A show? You think what I do is a _show?_"

"If I didn't know better I would say that it's all an act. Razaf, you have no control over your powers. How can you possibly use them when you don't even know how to_ control_ them?"

Green eyes bore into blue-green as the brothers confronted each other for what seemed like the first time in years. Both had chosen different paths of life, one as a hard-edged criminal, the other as a law-abiding officer.

"Why are you so interested in this anyways?" Rayne asked his brother, the commander's voice low and breathy. "What could _you _possibly get out of all this?"

"You know what I want."

Rayne thought for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes. "_No_, Razaf. You cannot possibly think you can gain the upper hand here and become Emperor yourself. That's not possible."

"It is," Razaf countered. "It's only my birthright!"

"The Wizard would have never given you the position and you know it. Great Oz, Razaf, he didn't even know you _exist!_"

"But I am his _son_," Razaf argued. "I am destined for this position. I could feel it in my veins. I am the Wizard's _son_, Rayne. If only Mother would have known he was my father…"

"Then she would have done nothing. Razaf, I may not have been graced with the gift of having the Wizard as my father, but we do have the same mother. She would not have treated you any differently so stop acting like you're so different from me and the rest of the human race!"

"But I _am_ different!" Razaf disagreed vehemently. "Just _look_ at me, Rayne!"

The commander did and saw nothing but his loathing for his older brother. "I will not allow you to do this, Razaf. Not as long as I'm commander of the Gale Force Army."

"Well then suck it up, _commander_," Razaf sneered, leaning closer to him. "One day you will realize _I _was the good guy all along. Some day you'll realize I _am_ different."

"Never," growled Rayne and it took his all to keep himself from hitting his brother. "You are just another criminal looking for an advantage."

"Really?" Razaf asked him, his green eyes narrowing. "Take a good look outside, brother, and you'll see who the _real_ criminal is."

Rayne couldn't help but glance through the glass doors to the shapes of Morrible and Bolynda. He was thinking his brother meant Bolynda and he then turned to look back at Razaf, his blue-green eyes shadowed in suppressed fury.

"I could only pray to the Unnamed God that she knows what she is doing with you," he told him sharply before whirling around and disappearing down the corridor.

Razaf watched his brother leave before turning back towards the glass door. He looked at Morrible's large form, a scowl formed on his face. What he really meant to Rayne was that he saw _Morrible_ as the criminal. He knew the woman had malicious intentions. He knew it from the very first time she took an interest in his strange powers.

He wanted to try and believe Bolynda was innocent. He couldn't possibly think that a young, nineteen-year-old such as she would commit such a heinous crime and blame the Emperor. It was wrong.

_After all, they're lovers now_, he thought but he wouldn't let himself get worked up again. He felt a strange connection towards the blue girl, a sort of…_protectiveness_ he couldn't explain. He knew he had to help Bolynda. It felt…right.

All he could do now is play along with Morrible's scheme, whatever part the woman has him play, for Bolynda's sake. He wouldn't let his jealousy of the Emperor, who he detested to the point of revulsion, to get in the way if his own plan. He had to get to Bolynda.

Ever since he had met her in his cell, he had been captivated by her. Was it some strange charm she perhaps had? Or was it the way her skin had glowed a shiny blue in the dim light of the cell? Or was it the way she had a response for almost everything he said, no matter how strange it was?

At first he had thought she was crazy by the way she had been talking about this 'other land', but secretly he had reveled in her bizarre world. It had been years since someone had talked to him so openly, as if she had known him her whole life.

He shook his head. He had to help Bolynda get out of this mess.

He just had to.

* * *

**Oooh, cliffhangers galore in this chapter! Reviews are much appreciated. :]**


	41. Chapter 41

**I felt like doing an update today. :) **

**As usual, thanks for all the reviews. :D**

**This chapter could get a little confusing for some people. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me some questions! :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 41

Glinda saw Elphaba disappear into the hut, her stomach feeling as if it was doing somersaults from her worry. She looked at Adagio, who stared back at her with his big brown eyes.

"She's going to be fine," the Horse assured her, folding his wings until they were tucked close to his black furred body. _I'm going to have to get used to this,_ he thought, feeling the unfamiliar tingle of the feathers brushing against his flanks.

"I hate that she's so protective of me," Glinda grumbled, wrapping her arms around herself. "I wish she would recognize that I'm not that dainty girl I was back at Shiz."

Adagio realized she was mostly talking to herself by the way she was mumbling things he didn't understand. He just flicked his ears and bent his head to nibble at the grass by Glinda's feet.

"Who a-a-are you?"

She jumped at the bleated voice behind her. She turned around and came face-to-face with a brown-and-white Goat.

"Doctor Dillamond!" she squeaked instinctively.

The Goat cocked his horned head. "Excu-u-use me?"

She wanted to slap herself. _Doctor Dillamond is in Oz, stupid,_ she said. _This is not him._

Adagio appeared beside the blonde, his eyes wide at the sight of the small Goat.

"By the Named God!" the Goat exclaimed, backing away at the surprising sight of the large, winged Horse. "What a-a-are you?" His words were bleated like the 'baa' of a sheep.

"A Horse, of course," Adagio chuckled.

"W-With wi-i-ings?"

"I'm sorry," Glinda interrupted before Adagio had a chance to answer. "I believe we are lost. Where are we?"

"Well, in the Animal Villa-a-age, of course. But how…?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Goat—" Glinda started.

"Quib, please," the Goat bleated. "Mr. Goat was my fa-a-ather."

"Okay…Quib. I believe my…friend went into that hut over there."

"Oh, no. Certainly he is not an A-A-Animal?"

"No, _she's_ a human," Glinda said, eyeing the Goat a little nervously. "And what do you mean by 'oh no'?"

"Well, you see, we're under atta-a-ack."

Glinda's blue eyes opened wider at Quib's whispered words. She then glanced at Adagio, who looked at her with an equally shocked expression.

"What do you mean?" Glinda asked, her voice high.

"The Evil Wiza-a-ard is here."

With that Glinda's heart began to race.

"If he finds you here he will make a ru-u-ug out of you," Quib told Adagio, who started to tremble in his fear. "I ha-a-ave no doubt about tha-a-at. I suggest you hide before he sees you. _No-o-ow_."

Glinda felt like crying out in her increasing frustration. Her Elphie was in the hut! With the _Wizard_, nonetheless!

"I better go-o-o," Quib bleated. "I'm sorry about your frie-e-end." Without another word the Goat quickly scuttled away from them, his little brown tail in the air.

"Glinda," Adagio whispered to her, his voice strained. "What should we do?"

"I don't know," she whispered back, biting her knuckles in her increasing worry. She stared nervously at the entrance of the hut, half-expecting her green love to burst out of it.

"Oh, Elphie," she muttered to herself. "If only you knew that man is your real father."

***

Elphaba took a step back, the cloak on her back brushing the entrance to the hut.

"I thought you left for good." Her voice was shaky as she gazed at the sight of the gray-haired man before her. Unlike the last time she had seen him, he wasn't wearing his trademark top hat. He was totally clad in black and his piercing green eyes were as calculating as ever.

"And I thought you died." The Wizard approached the green woman, a smirk on his face. "It seems fate has once again brought us together, Elphaba."

"Get away from me," the green woman hissed.

"Oh now," the Wizard tsk-tsked. "Is that any way to treat your father?"

"_What?_"

"Oh don't tell me you don't know…?" The Wizard sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Elphaba, I'm your father."

"Why the hell are you telling me this _now?_" Elphaba screamed at him. "You are _not_ my father!"

The Wizard looked at his daughter, wondering what he had in common with the green woman. True, she shared some his sharp facial features and maybe some of his wit, but nothing else.

He then took something out of his pocket and Elphaba's brown eyes widened at the sight.

"Recognize this?"

"What the hell are you doing with my bottle?"

"No, Elphaba. This is mine." The Wizard fingered his green bottle of Miracle Elixir, watching Elphaba's face contort in disgust as she absorbed this.

"I can't believe this…" the woman choked, placing two fingers on her temple as she started to stagger. "You can't be…my father…"

"Unfortunately it is so," the Wizard said simply. "Now, I would have liked to have a nice family reunion, but I believe this is not the time. You see, I am quite busy."

"Doing what? Killing Animals?" Elphaba snarled.

"Ah, you know me so well, do you? Sorin, Turak?"

Two Wolves appeared out of the darkness and stood at his side. Elphaba couldn't help but gasp as she recognized them from their brief encounter in the Big Plain. She felt her throat grow dry as they growled threateningly at her.

She then noticed a presence behind her and she let out a gasp as she felt furred paws grab her arms and pin them to her back. She struggled against the iron grip, but it was agonizingly strong.

"Elphaba, meet my Tiger, Torif. He just loves playing with his dinner, don't you, boy?"

Elphaba heard a growl next her ear and she stopped struggling, her blood turning ice cold at the sound. She felt several drips of saliva on her neck and her skin burned at the touch. She let out a whimper and looked back at the Wizard, her eyes burning with fury.

The Wizard's green gaze then fell on the satchel on her shoulders.

"Well, well! What is this?" He reached over to grab it but Elphaba shied away from him, further intensifying the grip on her arms. The Wizard let out a series of tsk-tsks and without warning, took the satchel, causing Elphaba to cry out of sheer surprise.

The Wizard didn't waste any time looking through the satchel, smiling when he found the Grimmerie. He took it out and glanced at his daughter, who had the look of murder plastered on her sharp, green face.

"Leave that alone," she growled, her tone matching dangerously to the Tiger that currently restrained her.

"I don't think you're in any position to tell me what to do, young lady," the Wizard said and gave the heavy book a quick peruse before putting it back inside the satchel. He then tossed it aside as if it was some piece of trash.

"What do you want with me?" Elphaba spat at him. "Why are Animals on your side?"

"Food," the gray Wolf called Turak quipped and the other gave him a hard cuff behind the ear.

"Shut up, Turak!" the brown wolf, Sorin, snarled.

"So you're bribing them? How nice," Elphaba said sarcastically. "I can't believe you've sunk this low, Wizard. I'm ashamed to have such a bastard as my father."

"I feel the same way about you, Elphaba. Though I couldn't bear the thought of any daughter of mine serving as an appetizer for a hungry Tiger. Maybe your little friend outside would make a better meal…?"

"_NO!_" Elphaba yelled. "Don't you _DARE _touch her!"

"Too late, my dear. Sorin, Turak, you know what to do."

The two Wolves then slunk out the hut, their fur brushing Elphaba's legs as they slithered past her.

"No, no, no! I'll do anything, but not her! Please, not her!" Elphaba begged, struggling once again against the Tiger's grip.

She then heard a scream and she was suddenly forced outside the hut, where she could see the Wolves circling Glinda and Adagio.

"Hm, just like you two told me," the Wizard said to his Wolf accomplices as he joined them outside. "The Horse has wings. This is most interesting."

"Elphie!" Glinda screamed as Turak got a little too close to her. The Wolf's jaws were salivating with hunger as he circled the blonde.

"Glinda! Adagio! Run away! Get out of here!" Elphaba cried out to them.

Adagio neighed and kicked at the brown Wolf, who dodged it easily with a simple side jump. He let out a bark and bit the Horse's long foreleg, bringing the massive, winged Animal to the ground.

"Fly, Adagio, fly!" Elphaba screamed, feeling the grip of the Tiger's paws around her wrists growing tighter and tighter.

"Not so fast," the Wizard sneered and threw something that looked like a small bag at the direction of the Horse. It exploded when it hit the ground, sending up a white cloud into the air. Adagio collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"Adagio!" Glinda and Elphaba screamed at the same time.

Sorin jumped away from the Horse just in time so he wouldn't get affected by the sleeping powder. He then joined his partner at Glinda's side, baring his teeth at the blonde.

"What the hell did you do to him?!" Elphaba spat at the Wizard.

"Something of my own creation," the Wizard said proudly. "Sleeping powder. Puts them down in a snap." He snapped his fingers for effect.

"You asshole," Elphaba cursed. She then looked at Glinda, her anger turning into desperation. "Go, Glinda! Run away!"

"No, Elphie! I'm not leaving you here!"

"Oh, how touching," the Wizard snickered. "It seems you haven't changed a bit, Glinda the Good. If only you would have been wiser in your choice of kicking me out of Oz. We could have made a great team."

"I would have never worked with you, you jackass," Glinda spat at him, the Wolves around her getting ever closer.

"Glinda, listen to me!!" Elphaba shouted at her. "Go before he catches you too!"

"No, Elphaba! I'm not leaving you this time!"

Elphaba gritted her teeth as she realized Glinda was referring to the time where she had refused her invitation to defy gravity with her. She shook her head, pleading with Glinda to escape while she could.

"Glinda, please…"

"No, Elphaba."

"We could have had quite the affair too, especially after what happened to your tragic engagement…," the Wizard said wonderingly, stepping closer to the blonde.

"Don't you dare touch her, you pervert!" screeched Elphaba.

Glinda backed away as the Wizard and his Wolf lackeys advanced towards her.

"It's such a shame really," the Wizard murmured, ignoring his green daughter. "Instead of a fine country man like me, you had to choose a…vegetable."

That was it for Glinda. She lunged at the older man, tackling him to the ground.

"Glinda, _NO!_" Elphaba cried and kicked at the Tiger restraining her. He let out a loud roar and barreled into her, pinning her to the ground. She let out an enraged yell and struggled against Torif's impossibly strong grip. She couldn't believe she had once thought the Wizard was wonderful…he was just pure _evil_. And to have this monstrosity as a father…

It was just too unreal to believe.

Glinda wrestled with the Wizard, her limbs flailing as she tried to do whatever harm she could to the vile man. He quickly overpowered her and restrained her on the ground, a hand on her throat and the other pinning her arms over her head.

"Now, now, sweetie," the Wizard cooed venomously in her ear. "We mustn't rush into things."

Elphaba wanted to kill the man more than ever. She thrashed under the Tiger's immense weight, but to no avail. She just wasn't strong enough to throw him off. She then saw the Wizard lean down and capture Glinda's lips in a kiss and her heart sank in despair.

Glinda turned her head away from the forced kiss, breaking it. She let out a scream and struggled against the Wizard's surprisingly tough grip.

"Mm, not the way I envisioned it, but pretty close," the Wizard said and bent down to kiss Glinda again. Tears streamed down of the blonde's cheeks as she turned her head away as far as she could in order to avoid the man's forceful advances.

"Stop it!" Elphaba coughed over the Torif's growls. "Stop it, you're hurting her!" If she didn't do something soon, she feared the Wizard would rape her girlfriend right there and then. She kicked and struggled as best she could, but it was if she was fighting a rock. The Tiger couldn't be moved.

The Wizard was about to respond when he felt something kick him right where it hurt him most. He released Glinda to clutch at his throbbing crotch, howling in pain. Glinda had kicked him and was now getting up, using the Wizard's distraction to her advantage.

Elphaba exchanged a pleading glance with her. _Go_, she mouthed to her and the blonde shook her head.

_Damn it, Glinda!_ the green woman fumed.

The Wizard got up shakily, a hand still on his crotch. "You…you will pay for that, bitch."

Glinda responded by kicking him in the face, her pretty little shoe jamming right into his nose. He let out a pained cry and grabbed his bleeding nose. He looked at his Wolves, who had been interested in the sleeping form of Adagio instead of helping their human master.

"You fools!" he screeched nasally, blood starting to run down his face. "Get her!"

"Run, Glinda, run!" Elphaba screamed at her lover as the Wolves noticed what Glinda had done to the Wizard.

Glinda barely registered what happened before she saw the Wolves turn towards her and snap their salivating jaws in her direction. She let out a scream and backed away from them, her blue eyes wide in her terror.

Turak then lunged forward, his jaws barely missing her pale arm. The blonde took off in a heartbeat, the quickly Wolves taking off after her.

Elphaba could only watch as her lover's form disappeared into the horizon, tears brimming her eyes as she realized she might never see her again.

***

"Mantu, look at this," Frynda said, stopping at the foot of a long, winding dirt road. Hoof prints, paw prints and many other assorted prints marked the dirt around them, telling her that this road had been walked on by many different animals and Animals alike.

"Many strange prints," Mantu concurred. "This must lead to the village."

Frynda nodded and walked ahead, adding footprints to the mix on the road. She motioned for Mantu to follow her when he lingered back, not quite sure if this was a good idea.

_No second-guessing, Mantu,_ he told himself. _You trust Frynda now, remember?_

He stepped onto the road, drawing close to Frynda as she walked at a brisk pace, eager to reunite with Glinda, Elphaba and Adagio. She knew she was riding on a guess, but it was her only chance to see her friends and her sister again.

Suddenly there was a sound from somewhere near them and Mantu pulled on Frynda's arm.

"I know, I know," the red woman growled. "I heard it too."

"It's the yellow-haired girl you like," Mantu whispered to her. "Glinda."

Frynda blushed at that but quickly recovered as she noticed Mantu was right. She spotted Glinda running towards them at a high speed, her blonde curls flying behind her.

"Glinda…?"

Before Frynda had a chance to finish, the blonde gave her a crushing embrace, causing her to almost fall into the ground with the excess momentum. She then just stood there as Glinda sobbed into her chest, not sure what to do.

"Oh, thank Oz I found you, Frynda," Glinda managed to choke out. "They took Elphie!"

"What?"

Glinda separated from the red girl and looked straight into her confused amber eyes, her own blue ones swimming with tears. "The Wizard took Elphaba. We accidentally ran into him and now he captured her."

Frynda was about to reply when an earsplitting howl sounded not far off.

"The Wolves!" Glinda yelped.

"Wolves?" Frynda asked, her voice high in fear. Mantu let out a squeak as he heard the panting of the nearby Wolves, thanks to his amazing hearing ability.

"I managed to lose them but I think they've caught my scent again. Sweet Oz, Frynda, do something! I think they're coming!" Glinda cried, moving herself to be behind the younger girl.

"Glinda!" the red skinned woman exclaimed, her heart thudding in her chest in her panic.

"Frynda—OH MY OZ!" Glinda let out a scream as she realized she was standing right next to an elf. Mantu covered his ears, grimacing. He was afraid this would happen again.

Frynda noticed this and gave Mantu a brief glare for not making his presence known earlier. "He's with me," she quickly explained to the obviously terrified blonde. "Now how do you expect me to get rid of this—"

Another howl split through the air, adding to the chorus of the other.

"_Two_ Wolves?! _Glinda!_"

"I'm sorry!" the blonde whined. "Do your fire thing, Frynda! That fire thing you told me that you can do!"

Frynda looked at her hands, her eyes opening wide. She glanced at Mantu, who had his ears still covered. He looked back at Frynda, his bright green eyes opened wide like twin moons in his fear.

"I need an actual _fire_ for that, Glinda," Frynda hissed quickly as she noticed two shapes making their way towards them. She visibly panicked. Killing small elves were one thing. Dealing with much bigger, much _stronger_ Wolves was another. She was growing more and more frustrated, her ears starting to ring from the overwhelming rage that was welling up inside of her.

Glinda gritted her teeth in frustration as she realized there wasn't much Frynda could do except attempt to ward away the Wolves with her dagger…which was not likely.

Then something incredible happened.

Frynda felt something tickle the tips of her fingers and she glanced at them. She gasped at what she saw. Sparks danced across her fingers as if they were live electrical wires. She held out her hand, her amber eyes wide open in amazement.

"What's happening, Frynda?" Glinda asked her, noticing the girl's fingers cracking and sparking noisily.

"I-I'm not s-sure!" the red skinned girl stuttered, her voice shaking. Then her hands exploded in flames and she screamed, waving them around frantically. Glinda also screamed and Mantu's head reeled from all the noise.

The Wolves soon arrived at the scene and bristled at the sight of the fire in the girl's hands.

"What the hell?" Sorin barked, backing away. Turak followed suit, the gray Wolf's yellow eyes widening at the rather strange spectacle.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Glinda yelled at the red girl.

"I _can't!_" Frynda shrieked as she continued waving her hands around. "I don't know how to!"

Both Glinda and Mantu moved away from the frantic girl, afraid of the sudden fire that now engulfed the girl's arms.

"Ah! Help me! Help me, anyone!"

"Frynda!" Glinda yelled over the girl's screaming. "Frynda, listen to me! Channel that fire towards the Wolves! They're here now!" She pointed to the two bewildered Animals, who had proceeded to back away very slowly from the flaming girl.

"Yah-hah!" Frynda forced herself to aim the fire towards the Wolves. Nothing happened. She shook her arms crazily, the fire now creeping its way towards her upper arms. "Gliiindaaa!" she whined.

"Sweet Oz!" Glinda sighed in exasperation.

"It's taking over her body!" Mantu shrieked as Frynda's chest suddenly caught fire and soon she was just a walking, talking fireball.

Glinda didn't know what to do as she watched the girl run around in circles, her arms flailing wildly as she tried to get rid of the flames that now engulfed her entire being. "Frynda!"

"We have to get her water to put out the flames!" Mantu told Glinda quickly.

"Now how in Oz am I supposed to get_ that_ in the middle of nowhere?!"

"Why are you asking _me? You're _the human!"

Glinda wanted to rip apart the elf right there and then. Yelps were heard as the Wolves decided that they would give up this chase. They ran away towards the direction of the Animal Village, their tails tucked between their legs.

Mantu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at this. That was one more thing he didn't have to worry about. Now he had to focus on helping Frynda.

"Frynda, Frynda! Calm down, you're making it worse!" Glinda cried to the terrified girl, who was now rolling on the floor, trying to snuff the flames out, but to no avail.

"Calm _down?!_" Frynda shrieked. "I'm on _fire_, Glinda!"

"Does it burn you at all?"

Frynda then stopped her frantic rolling, hearing the sharp crackles of the flames next to her ear. She just lay there for a second; thinking about what Glinda asked her. "No," she said and stood up from the ground. She looked at her flaming hands, then at her legs. "I don't feel a thing."

Glinda breathed a sigh of relief. "Then there's no reason to panic. Look, Frynda, this could be another weird power you have."

"What? To be on fire? That's nice!"

"How do you expect me to know _that_, Frynda? Can we just calm down and think about this?" Glinda sounded impatient. She still had to get to her Elphie and this was just a very unfortunate setback.

"I'm about as calm as I'll be while I'm on fire," Frynda told her through gritted teeth.

Glinda could feel the overwhelming heat radiating from the girl's flaming body as she took a step towards her. "Maybe you could take a few deep breaths and will it to go away?"

"Well, why didn't_ I_ think of that?" Frynda said sarcastically, angry that the blonde was not doing a single thing to help her except stand there and look as incredibly attractive as ever.

Mantu then decided it was his turn. "Frynda," he said and the girl turned her head towards him, her amber eyes blazing as much as the rest of her body. "Frynda, you must relax. You are still too angry."

"What do _you_ know, elf?" the girl snapped at the little green elf, whirling to face him. "I'm not angry! I'm perfectly relaxed!"

"Your fiery condition says otherwise," Mantu growled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Frynda, just listen to us," Glinda pleaded with her. "Please!"

As Frynda slowly but eventually calmed down, she felt the tingling sensation all over her body started to recede and the flames began to die down. She closed her eyes and took a shaky, deep breath.

"That's it, Frynda," she heard Glinda whisper to her. The blonde's voice sounded close to her ear. "It's going away."

Finally the flames died down to nothing more than sparks. Frynda dared to open her eyes and found Glinda right in front of her, their noses barely brushing. The blonde's blue eyes were glistening with an emotion she couldn't quite place.

"G-Glinda," she stuttered. The blonde was standing uncomfortably close to her still very warm body and Frynda gulped. Despite everything that was currently happening, she couldn't help but feel quite aroused by the blonde's nearness. "W-what are you doing?"

"Covering you," Glinda whispered.

"What—"

"I'm not looking!" Mantu's voice drifted from somewhere beyond them.

Then it clicked for Frynda. She looked down at herself and discovered she was completely naked. She let out a squeak and quickly tried to cover herself, blushing heavily with embarrassment. Her clothes must have melted right off in the inferno.

She silently cursed herself for not thinking about that.

_This is so embarrassing!_ Frynda thought, wanting to kill herself. _And especially in front of Glinda—_

"Frynda," the blonde's voice broke into her thoughts. "It's okay. The elf's not looking." She looked over her shoulder at Mantu, just to make sure. The green elf's back was turned to them and his hand over his eyes. Glinda turned back to the mortified girl, suddenly feeling pity for her.

She reached a hand to touch the red shoulder but Frynda abruptly drew away.

"Don't touch me," the younger girl hissed. She half-limped, half wobbled to a rather tall patch of grass and settled herself in it, still feeling terribly exposed.

"Don't worry," Glinda said. "I'm used to it."

Frynda shot her a look that would have killed her if it could.

Glinda gritted her teeth and turned around, her back to the obviously humiliated girl. _I shouldn't have said that,_ she thought. She stormed to Mantu, who still had his eyes politely covered.

"You can look now," the blonde spat.

Mantu barely had the chance to open his eyes when he felt a sharp yank on his arm. Glinda had grabbed his thin arm was now dragging him away from the scene.

"Ow, ow, ow," Mantu hissed, his leaf skirt brushing against the earth-worn ground.

"We'll be back!" Glinda called over her shoulder at Frynda, who was curiously watching them leave over the tops of the grasses around her. After they left, the red girl sank low to the ground, the tears finally falling down her face.


	42. Chapter 42

**Never fear, Chapter 42 is here!**

**Okay, corniness aside…enjoy this new chapter, everyone! :D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 42

Razaf jumped as the door to the balcony burst open. Morrible and a shackled Bolynda made their way towards him. The older woman had somewhat of a smile on her face and Bolynda looked utterly bored.

"Razaf, I'm glad you're here," Morrible told him and abruptly shoved Bolynda over to him, taking him by surprise. "Watch over her for a few minutes, will you? I have some quick business to conduct. Bring her to my office and I'll meet you there."

Without another word, the large woman was out of sight. Razaf just stood there, his hands on the blue girl's shackled wrists. Looking at her black, cropped hair in front of him, he debated whether or not he should tell her of the plan he had come up with to help her.

"Why?" Bolynda suddenly asked him, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Razaf raised a brow. "Why…what?"

"Why did you have to agree with that…monster?" Bolynda's voice was small. "Why, Razaf?"

Instead of answering, the sandy-haired man led her down the corridor and through the numerous, emerald-lined hallways. Bolynda didn't resist, already coming to terms with the fact that this wasn't the same, curious man that she had been speaking to only yesterday.

Razaf led her into the Emperor's lavish office, closing the door shut behind him. Bolynda didn't move a muscle as the man walked around her and to the desk. He hurriedly opened one of the drawers and took out that horrid vile of poison Morrible had hid in there.

Bolynda's eyes opened wide as Razaf did this, her mind reeling with questions.

"How did you…?"

"I'm not stupid, Bo," Razaf said to her simply, fingering the bottle in his hand. "I realize that woman is no more than a snake. The whole reason I agreed to help her is to help _you_."

Bolynda was stunned at Razaf's sudden turning of the tables. "B-but, w-what—"

"I know you didn't kill Captain Avaric." Razaf turned around to face her, his emerald green eyes narrowed. "Did you?"

"Of course not!" Bolynda sputtered. "But why would you want to help me?"

"I don't know, really. It's just a gut feeling I have. Trust me on this, though, will you?" He looked down at the bottle in his hand, wondering what it was for. He had seen Morrible with it a few hours ago and the way Bolynda paled a lighter shade of blue at the sight if it gave him a fairly good idea of what it was.

"Yeah, of course," Bolynda answered him, still a bit bewildered. "I'll do anything to get of here to help Fiyero—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Razaf held out a hand as if to stop her. "I said I was going to help _you _get out of here. The Emperor is another issue altogether."

"But—"

"Bo. Don't tell me you forgot what I told you already? I tried to kill the man, remember?" _Though not on purpose,_ he thought bitterly. He remembered the fateful day when he had confronted the dark-skinned Emperor, right after he had made a public appearance. He had been in a particularly foul mood that day and just seeing the man he utterly detested made it worse.

Unfortunately he had run into the Emperor in the midst of the crowd that had gathered there for the event. That set him off and his unpredictable powers started to manifest around him. In the process of trying to control his power, Razaf had magically thrown the Emperor clear across the square, knocking him out. The next thing he knew he was being shackled and thrown into Southstairs.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Bolynda asked him.

Razaf sighed and looked at his boots or rather…the_ Emperor's_ boots. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later when we're out of this place."

Bolynda looked at him quizzically, but nodded, figuring this wasn't a time for long stories. "Tell me what to do," she said.

Razaf's eyes twinkled and he gave her a small smile. "First, we need to get rid of this." He lifted the bottle of poison.

"Yes, please," the blue girl begged him.

Razaf nodded and walked towards the small window of the office. Gingerly he opened it and tossed the small vial out of the window, watching it as it fell and shattered on the hard, green floor below.

"Whoops," he sing-songed. "That looked expensive. Oh well." He closed the window and turned back to Bolynda, flashing her a brilliant smile.

The blue girl couldn't help but smile back. She still wasn't sure why this man was helping her, but she was glad he was.

It was one step closer to rescuing her Fiyero.

***

Zafryna gazed into the swirling contents of her looking glass, actually wanting for once for it to show her the man she had supposedly fallen in love with. She and Inett were sitting on her still messy bed, the yellow-skinned girl having not had the time to fix it after Frynda had left.

Inett watched her friend concentrate with an amused expression on her face. "Zaf, what are you doing?"

"I am going to show you who I'm talking about…if this damn thing would respond any time soon…"

"Zaf, no matter how hard you stare at it, it's _not _going to go any faster. Trust me."

Zafryna cut her a glare before she felt a certain vibration coming from the glass in her hands. She raised her brows, finding it quite odd that her glass would vibrate like that. It had never moved before.

Curiously the yellow-skinned woman peered into it, seeing only the cloudiness that had been there before. Suddenly a picture appeared. It was hazy, but Zafryna could make out the form of a hunched figure. With a groan, she realized that the temperamental glass had obnoxiously shown her something else other than what she wanted.

_Like always,_ she thought bitterly.

The person the glass was showing her was none other than her newfound sister, Elphaba. The green-skinned woman looked like she was sleeping the way her body was folded up on itself. Her long, raven black hair fell all over her arms, which were wrapped tightly around her knees. Her head was buried in her arms, looking as if she had permanently glued herself into that position.

_Wow, this is so important,_ Zafryna thought sarcastically. She felt Inett look over her shoulder.

"Who is that?" the brunette asked her friend.

"Elphaba," Zafryna hissed through her teeth.

"Wow, she's really…_green._ You know, you two _do_ have some sort of sisterly resemblance."

Zafryna shook her head and sighed. "Thanks for reminding me, _Inett_," she growled sardonically.

"Sorry," the brunette mumbled. "I forgot."

The yellow-skinned woman rolled her eyes and was about to shake the glass before something caught her eye. A shadow had fallen across Elphaba's form and the green woman looked up, a scowl formed on her face. Zafryna was intrigued now and she looked closer into the looking glass, noticing the scene drift slowly outwards, revealing more and more of the shadow's creator.

Zafryna nearly dropped the glass when she saw who the shadow belonged to.

"What's wrong, Zafryna?" Inett asked her, noticing her friend's sudden distress.

"It's the Evil Wizard," Zafryna said quickly and turned to the brunette, her emerald green eyes opened wide in fear. "The Evil Wizard has Elphaba."

***

"It seems we have a little change in our plans."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, the scowl still on her face. She looked at the man she once admired and now hated with every fiber of her being.

"I had originally intended on going to the Ruby City, but it seems we have run into a bit of a…problem." The Wizard then stroked his shaved chin thoughtfully, as if he was contemplating something.

Elphaba just kept staring at him, waiting for him to continue.

"You know what?" the Wizard asked her unexpectedly. "If that Leopard was true to his word, I could use this to my advantage. Get up!"

Elphaba didn't stop him as he grabbed her arm and practically heaved her up off the ground. The older man then pushed her out of the small hut she had been occupying for at least a half an hour or so since she had been captured.

Her eyes squinted at the harsh sunlight that suddenly came upon them as they exited the hut. She squeezed them shut, her vision becoming black once again. She felt the Wizard's grip tighten on her shoulders and she heard a soft whining sound coming from somewhere to her right.

"Sweet Mother of Mary, you weren't kidding when you said she was _red_."

Elphaba opened her eyes at this, seeing the form of a red-skinned girl sitting at the paws of a rather large, upright Leopard. The green woman could feel her heart sinking with dread at the sight of her youngest sister so helpless.

"Frynda," she breathed softly.

"I never lie, sir," the Leopard purred in a response to the Wizard's shock. "I found her near the dirt road just a few hundred tail-lengths away from the entrance of the Village."

The Wizard looked over Elphaba's shoulder, his eyes scanning the curled form of Frynda. The girl was shaking violently, her arms hugging her bare knees. She was staring at something ahead of her, but Elphaba wasn't sure what it was. It seemed the younger girl either hasn't recognized she had been captured, or she was trying to concentrate on something other than the intimidating Leopard standing above her.

"It's really you," the Wizard sneered, directing it at Frynda. "You're one of the Great Witch's famous daughters. Which one are you? Zafryna? Bolynda?"

Frynda didn't answer.

Elphaba felt the Wizard drum his fingers on her shoulders as he hummed thoughtfully. "Ah, yes. Frynda. The youngest of the three. This is truly wonderful. Brilliant, actually."

"What are you going to do with her?" Elphaba suddenly asked, feeling the need to speak up for her catatonic sixteen-year-old sister.

"Nothing that is of your concern," the man behind her snarled, giving her a fierce shake. Elphaba cried out of sheer surprise, causing Frynda to look up at her.

"Elphaba?" the red girl squeaked, her amber eyes opening wide.

As if on cue, the Wizard clamped his hand over Elphaba's mouth, preventing her from saying anything else. The green woman tried to bite his hand, but to no avail.

"It seems you two have already met," the Wizard said, wrapping an arm around his daughter's waist, restraining her as she started to struggle against him.

"She's my sister!" Frynda spat, standing up. Elphaba stopped her struggles for a second when she realized Frynda was completely naked.

_What the—_

"Let her go!" The red girl's cry echoed throughout the empty Village before the Leopard forcefully made her sit down again, her bare bottom hitting the ground with a _'thud'_.

"Elphaba's your…_sister?_"

Elphaba wanted to slap Frynda for being so loose-lipped. Now the Wizard would put two and two together and find out everything.

"This doesn't make any sense," the Wizard muttered under his breath. "I thought I only had _one _daughter."

Okay, so it seemed the Wizard _wasn't _that smart. That didn't stop Elphaba from wanting to slap Frynda, though. Why in Oz was the girl _naked?_

"Let us go!" Frynda screeched at the Leopard, who just twitched his whiskers in response, his big paws placed securely on the girl's small shoulders. "You don't know what I could do!"

"Put her in the prisoner caravan, Cayden," the Wizard commanded the big, spotted Cat. "And for Oz's sake, put some clothes on her."

Without another word, Elphaba felt herself being shoved in the opposite direction. She didn't put up much of a fight, the grimy hand still clamped to her mouth preventing her from saying anything to her red-skinned sister, who the Leopard named Cayden now dragged away against her will.

After a few minutes of walking past the deserted huts of the Animal Village, they came across a rather long line of wooden caravans. Elphaba could see the Tiger that had restrained her earlier carry a large bag full of things Elphaba wasn't familiar with. They looked like guns, but they were much longer and had sharp-ended points.

"Torif!" the Wizard yelled towards the Tiger, who turned his big, striped head towards them. The big Cat let out a feral grin and dropped the bag he was carrying, stalking over to where the father and daughter pair stood.

"Take her to the prisoner caravan," the Wizard told him quickly. "I'm growing quite impatient with her struggles."

"Now food?" the Tiger growled at him, sniffing at Elphaba's dirty, black shirt. The green woman kicked at him, causing him to draw away just a bit before sniffing at her again.

"Not yet," the Wizard sighed in exasperation. "Just take her."

Torif then stretched out, coming to a full, upright form. He opened his paws and grabbed Elphaba's arms, the woman crying out as he dragged her forcefully away from the Wizard. The man smiled at his daughter's cries of pain and he looked up into the Tiger's hungry green eyes.

"We are now going to the Red Palace to meet the Great Witch. It seemed one of her daughters got lost. It is time we return her to her Mommy."

Torif looked like he didn't hear the Wizard, though he smiled at the way the man cackled. All the Cat could think about was food and the woman in his muscular paws smelled delicious. He licked his fangs in anticipation. His master would give him the chance to indulge himself soon.

The Wizard cackled again as Torif hauled her into the last caravan, throwing her inside before closing the latch clumsily with his two massive forepaws. Elphaba let out a gargled yell as her face met the hard, wooden floor, feeling splinters embed themselves into her green skin. She quickly got up and banged on the door, howling in frustration at the situation she got herself in.

She soon gave up this pointless endeavor, seeing that no matter how hard she yanked, pushed, pulled or kicked at the door, it wouldn't budge. She leaned her back against it and sighed heavily, hating herself for getting caught. She should have listened to Glinda and stayed with her.

_As usual,_ she thought miserably, _Glinda was right._

She felt her heart sink with dread as she remembered the state she had last seen her girlfriend in. She had prayed to all the gods she knew of that her lover would miraculously outrun those Wolves and survive, but she knew her rational side of thinking had the more realistic outcome.

Glinda couldn't possibly have made it.

Elphaba let herself slide slowly to the ground, the familiar feeling of failure creeping it way into her body. She felt like killing herself all over again.

"Oh, Glinda," she sniffed, painful tears starting to build up in the corners of her eyes. "Glinda…I'm so, _so_ sorry. I've let you down again. I should have listened to you, my sweet, I should have listened to you…"

She closed her eyes, the tears slowly making their agonizing way down her face and into her soiled dress underneath. She then buried her head into her hands and sobbed loudly, louder than she has ever sobbed before. Her hands burned with every tear she shed, but she couldn't have cared less. Her precious Glinda was gone.

And this time it was for good.

***

Glinda was thinking about her Elphie. Her precious, precious Elphie.

Now, as she picked up handfuls of dried grass from the ground, she couldn't help but feel as if she had seen her love for the last time. She closed her blue eyes shut as she painfully remembered the tormented look on Elphaba's face as she pleaded with the blonde to leave and save herself.

_Only the Unnamed God knows what that monster is doing to her,_ she growled to herself. _That bastard deserves to die a slow, painful—_

"Over here!"

The voice broke the blonde out of her thoughts. She looked over and saw Mantu waving at her furiously. The green elf had been working on a grass skirt for Frynda, who was still waiting for them back at the start of the dirt road that led to the Animal Village.

Glinda rolled her eyes and reluctantly trudged towards the elf. She hated the fact that she had to work with elf, no matter how friendly he seemed. She will never forget the way his brethren had attacked her and her friends.

"What is it, Montu?"

"M_a_ntu," the elf said, stressing the 'a'. "It's M_a_ntu."

"Whatever," grumbled Glinda. "What do you want?"

"I'm almost finished. Look." The elf held up a skirt made out of dried grass. Judging by the small size, it was made more for a six-year-old than a _sixteen_-year-old. Glinda noticed this and was about to tell him before she thought better of it.

_This will have to do,_ Glinda thought and took the skirt that Mantu offered her. _At least she'll have panties._

Mantu smiled as the blonde took the skirt he made. He was never good at making clothing, but he had learned how through the numerous females he had been around in his former clan. Self consciously he scratched at his own leaf skirt, aware that he needed to patch it up soon or it would fall apart.

Glinda examined Mantu's handiwork carefully, a smug expression on her face as she envisioned Frynda wearing it. _Definitely not on _my_ list of trendy clothing,_ she thought, managing to make herself chuckle. She remembered her days at Shiz University where she had been the epitome of high fashion.

She then looked at her light blue blouse and brown skirt outfit, sighing heavily. _Times have certainly changed, that's for sure. Ever since I rediscovered Elphie, I…_

She blinked. Elphaba.

_I'm wasting too much time here,_ she thought quickly and got up, Mantu getting up after her. _Elphie needs me now_.

"Are we going back already?" the elf asked her. "Shouldn't we make a top…?"

"She'll live," Glinda said simply and grabbed the elf's arm. Mantu groaned loudly, not wanting to be dragged around by the blonde again.

"I can walk, you know!" Mantu hissed at her.

"You walk too damn slow!"

Mantu didn't protest any further, his arm feeling like it was going to pop out of its socket by the way Glinda was yanking on it. Fortunately for him, they didn't have to walk very far to where they thought Frynda was waiting for them.

Glinda let go of the elf's arm and faced the patch of grass Frynda was hiding in earlier.

"You can come out now, Frynda," the blonde said, holding up the small, grassy skirt. When she didn't get a response, she took a step forward.

"Frynda…?"

"I don't think she's here," Mantu whispered to her, tugging at the end of her brown skirt.

Glinda shook her head. "That's impossible. She_ has_ to be here. She _has_ to."

Thus their frantic search for the red girl began. They scoured the area for any sign that she might have simply wandered off, but to no avail. Frynda was nowhere to be found.

"Oh sweet Oz," Glinda breathed to herself after what seemed like the hundredth time she came across an empty patch of grass. "This _cannot _be good."


	43. Chapter 43

**Enjoy this chapter, everyone! :)**

**P.S- Three days til my birthday! 17! Wooo~**

* * *

Chapter 43

Elphaba didn't hear the door to the caravan squeak open. She was too lost in the dark void of her own despair to even notice the girl who was thrown into the space next to her, her auburn hair flying all over the place.

Frynda coughed as the door slammed shut behind her, leaving her and Elphaba alone in the dim-lighted, claustrophobic caravan. The red girl looked up at her older sister, her vision still swimming from the blows to the head she had received from the Leopard who had dressed her haphazardly in potato sacks and miscellaneous rags.

"Elphaba…?" the sixteen-year-old whispered, shuffling closer to the catatonic woman. "Elphaba, can you hear me? It's me, Frynda."

"I know very damn well who you are," Elphaba growled from the depths of her knees. She then looked up at Frynda, her eyes dark and murderous. "What do you want?"

Frynda's head tilted to the side both in confusion and misunderstanding. Why was Elphaba acting this way? Was she even aware what was going on? "Elphaba, do you know who that man is outside?"

"I wish I didn't," the green-skinned woman hissed and placed her head back against her knees. Her arms wrapped tighter around her legs, pulling them closer to her body.

"He's our mother's worst enemy," Frynda explained.

Elphaba then let out a chuckle, but it sounded hollow and unfeeling. "Well, isn't _that _ironic?"

"What do you mean?" asked Frynda, moving her sore body so she could sit next to her unmoving sister.

Elphaba barely registered the younger woman's question as the red-skinned girl sat next to her, leaning her back against the wooden wall behind them.

"To think they loved one another at one time," Elphaba said, "is just plain ludicrous."

"What do you mean?" Frynda repeated, not comprehending anything that was coming out of the green woman's mouth.

"Frynda, the Wizard is my father," Elphaba breathed, slowly unfolding from her scrunched up position.

Frynda couldn't help but gasp. "N-no way," she whispered, her eyes growing wide in her shock. She couldn't possibly believe that her mother had once loved the man she now most utterly hated. It was too unsettling, too…_unreal_.

"Yes way," sighed Elphaba, closing her eyes as she allowed her head to fall back into the wall behind her. "I once thought I knew everything there was to know about me, then _this_ hits me like a two-ton brick. I didn't know myself until an hour ago."

"Elphaba, is it possible…" Frynda bit her lip, looking down at the dirty floor underneath her instead of into Elphaba's penetrating brown gaze. "Is it possible that he could be _my _father too?'

This took the green woman by surprise, but not for long. She quickly recovered and said simply, "No."

Frynda raised a brow at her short answer, but didn't respond. She instead gave her sister a quick peruse, noticing she had put her fire-resistant cloak to good use. _If I had had it I wouldn't have had to go through that horrible embarrassment with Glinda,_ she thought venomously.

"Can I have this back?" Frynda asked her, pointing to the black cloak Elphaba had managed to cover herself with.

At first Elphaba didn't know what she was talking about. She then followed the younger girl's red finger to the cloak she was wearing. The green woman let out a heavy sigh.

"I suppose."

She took it off and handed it Frynda, who greedily accepted it and wrapped herself with it, glad she now had some sort of clothing other than the meager rags her captors had scavenged for her to wear.

Elphaba watched her with an arched brow. "Frynda, can I ask you a question?" she asked her.

"You already did."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

Frynda gulped heavily, already regretting attempting to add a light touch of humor to an otherwise grim situation.

"Why in Oz where you _naked?_"

Frynda's jaw clenched and she looked down at the ground once again in shame. She had been afraid of this question. "A little bit earlier than this, I met Glinda at the—"

Elphaba suddenly jerked her arm at the mention of her girlfriend, unintentionally punching Frynda right in the gut with her bony elbow. The younger girl let out a gasp as she felt the wind rush right out of her.

"Glinda?!" Elphaba exclaimed, not noticing Frynda's desperate gasps for air. "Glinda's alive?!"

It took Frynda a few moments to regain her breath. "Y-yeah, o-ow. Why d-did you do that?" she hissed at the obviously relieved woman, her arms still around her stomach.

"This is a miracle!" Elphaba smiled, her sharp, white teeth contrasting against her emerald skin. "Somehow she managed to avoid those beasts! Oh my Oz, this is too unbelievable!" She ran her fingers through her black, straight hair in her overwhelming relief.

The green woman secretly thanked all the gods she knew for this wonderful news while its messenger looked at her sister as if she had just sprouted six limbs.

"You thought Glinda was dead?" Frynda asked her.

Elphaba gave her a small nod, still feeling a slight buzz in her head. She felt tears brim at the edge of her eyes and for once they weren't because of sadness. Never in her twenty-five years of life had she ever felt so happy, so…relieved. She then reached out and trapped Frynda into a massive hug, squeezing the girl as if she was some sort of oversized teddy bear.

Frynda writhed uncomfortably against her sister's grasp, wondering whether or not she should question Elphaba's sanity at that moment. But just as quickly as it came, the hug left and Elphaba leaned back into the wall, wiping away the tears before they could burn her skin.

"Sorry," she sniffed. "I'm just so damn happy."

Frynda gave her a small smile despite the fact that the girl she had secretly been envying was rejoicing in the fact that the blonde she loved was still alive. The same blonde that Frynda had a major crush on. The same blonde that had left her alone at the edge of that dirt road.

Frynda couldn't help but feel her heart sink little by little as she thought about the way she felt about Glinda and the fact the feelings weren't returned. _Of course, you stupid girl, _she chastised herself, _Glinda loves Elphaba. Why should she feel anything for you?_

"Where is she now?"

Elphaba's question snapped the red-skinned woman out of her thoughts.

"I was about to get to that before you punched me in the gut," Frynda said lightly and that elicited a small chuckle from her green sister.

"I'm so sorry, Frynda." Elphaba then looked at her very seriously. "I mean it. I'm sorry, Frynda."

"Oh, that's nothing," Frynda laughed nervously. "Believe me, I've taken harder hits."

"That's not what I mean."

Frynda stared at Elphaba, her mouth opening in a small gape. What could Elphaba possibly be apologizing for…?

"I haven't been exactly the best sister lately," Elphaba chuckled. "Glinda told me about the way you saved her from that elf. I should have been prostrating at your feet, yet I let my foolish pride get in the way. I apologize for leaving you in that clearing."

Frynda listened to this, her gape growing wider. Was Elphaba really expressing regret for ditching her at the forest?

"Glinda wanted to stay until you returned," Elphaba continued to explain, "but I…I didn't want to face you. I didn't want to go back to that place again." The green woman wrung her hands together, her apprehension increasing with every word she uttered.

"Frynda, I'm sorry for judging you so quickly. I tend to do that more than anyone ever should. I should have realized you deserved the chance to explain yourself. For Oz's sake, you're only sixteen!"

Frynda met Elphaba's strong, unwavering gaze as the older woman put a slender hand on her shoulder.

"You are a brave, young girl, Frynda," Elphaba told her gently. "I am not at all surprised to discover that you are my sister. I was just like you when I was younger. Vibrant, youthful, trusting…" her voice faded a bit, but then grew in strength as she continued.

"I don't mean to drag on and especially now in this rather precarious situation, but I want you to know this. I really, r_eally_ appreciate what you have done for Glinda. If it weren't for you, I would have lost the only person that has ever held some meaning in my life. Thank you…"

Then Elphaba gathered her younger sister in another, less vigorous hug. It was a hug only Zafryna had given her before. It was full of reassurance, acceptance and maybe even love.

"Can you forgive me?"

Elphaba's voice tickled in Frynda's ear, who had been rendered speechless after the green woman's heartfelt monologue. She wanted to say _yes_, but the suddenness of it all tugged at her already battered heart. How could she forgive the woman who had only abandoned her a few hours before?

"It's quite alright if you don't," Elphaba sniffed, releasing her embrace. "I understand."

"No, Elphaba, it's not like that—"

"Frynda, please. I could see it in your eyes. There are some wounds that are just too deep to mend in a single day. Trust me, I know." With that, Elphaba extended her hand towards the girl. "Can we at least be on friendly terms for now?"

Frynda looked at the green hand, and then at the girl it belonged to. Hesitantly she took it, Elphaba's slender fingers wrapping around her small, red hand.

The green witch's smile grew bigger as she shook her younger sister's hand.

"Now we've just got to figure out a way to get out of this place."

***

Fiyero didn't know what to do. He kicked at the same rock he had been kicking at for the last four hours. The former Emperor looked around his cell for what seemed like the millionth time.

"This isn't fair," he muttered to himself. "I have done nothing to deserve this."

At a time like this, he couldn't help but think of his Fae. His heart sank as he realized he would never get the chance to see her now. Morrible had used him, Bolynda had abused him and now it was all up to him to get himself out of this mess.

He gripped the rusty bars of his tiny cell window as he thought about what couldn't have happened if he wasn't so brainless.

_I would be out there,_ he thought. _I would be leading search parties and trying to figure out where she could be hiding. She would be in my arms by now and all thoughts of that stupid blonde would have been erased from her mind as soon as I touched her._ _She would realize I was the one all along. _

He then gave a frustrated yell and kicked at the heavy, iron door, ignoring the throbbing that came afterwards. _Why did I have to let myself be used as a fucking doormat? _he asked himself. _Now Avaric's dead and it's all because of me. My own men have been turned against me because they think I'm under some stupid spell. _

He shrugged. _Hell, I_ could_ be._ _I barely know what's going on anymore._

Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a golden button that had fallen out of his uniform. He heaved a sigh and picked it up, examining its smooth, painted surface.

_If only I hadn't become the Emperor in the first place, _he thought. He then closed his eyes, remembering why he had made that decision all those years ago. He had been so devastated at the loss of his Fae that he had wandered over to the Emerald City in a drunken haze.

That was shortly after the citizens of Oz had discovered their precious Glinda the Good had died under 'mysterious circumstances'. The Ozian political establishment had been in turmoil, yet Fiyero couldn't have cared less. All he had cared about was that he had lost his love for reasons he wasn't quite sure he could place.

Someone must have recognized that he was a Winkie Prince and before he knew it, he had been thrust into the crazed world of Ozian politics. He had been so out of it that he barely registered that the whole of Oz had granted him the ultimate position of Emperor, just because he was a handsome, good-looking prince—a royal position he rarely even remembers holding.

It had clicked a few days into his reign, when he had been given the enormous task of conducting Glinda the Good's funeral. It had pained him to know that his ex-fiancé had passed away so devastatingly. That's when he realized he had agreed to the most powerful position anyone could ever hold in Oz.

He couldn't change anything after that. Day after day he would dread the toils of headship, always having been quick to bore. He wasn't even sure if he was doing it correctly. He was just 'going with the flow' and letting his advisors do all of the dirty work while he just stood at public events and spoke with his usual charismatic charm.

When he had appointed his long-time friend, Avaric, as captain of the guard, his job became a whole lot easier. Avaric had always had a mind for politics and so it became that the blonde had served as the Emperor's number one confidant and advisor.

Fiyero kicked at the door again when he thought of his former friend. _He didn't have to die like that,_ he thought grimly. _He had always wanted to die a brave death. He had told me so._

He let himself sit down on the ground, not caring if his already ruined uniform got filthy. "Oh, Avaric," he moaned. "Why did you have to go and get yourself killed?"

The dark-skinned man buried his head in his hands, shameless tears rolling down his face.

"_Now_ who's going to help me?"

***

Bolynda needed to help Fiyero, no matter what Razaf said. She loved him. At least, it had _felt_ like love. As the former prisoner tried to unshackle her, she reminisced on the brief time she had shared with the handsome, dark-skinned man. She remembered the way his blue tattoos glowed in the dim light, the way he whispered soft nothings into her ear right after they had—

"There."

Razaf's voice and a sharp tugging on her wrists brought her back to the present.

"I loosened them so you should be able to break free. Try tugging on them."

Bolynda pulled on the restraints, feeling them loosen their vice-like grips on her delicate wrists. After a few tries, she managed to wrench one hand free and soon the other followed suit. She then rubbed her raw wrists, wincing slightly.

"Well, that takes care of that," Razaf said, hiding the cuffs behind the bookcase. "Feeling better, Bo?"

"Much," the blue girl answered him, the gratefulness evident in her voice. "Thanks, Razaf."

"Don't mention it," he said and with a smile, he leaned closer to her. "Really. _Don't._"

Bolynda let out a laugh. "Don't worry, I won't." She then abruptly stopped laughing and looked around the office, a thin, black eyebrow raised in confusion. "Now what?"

"Now we make our escape," Razaf replied matter-of-factly. "Fortunately for you, my dear, I have escaping down to a science. Being in prison for three years gives you plenty of time to learn from your mistakes."

Bolynda gave him a small smile and gestured to the door. "Well, then, lead the way, Mr. Escape Artist."

It was Razaf's turn to raise a brow. "Who said we were going through the door?"

Bolynda's blue gaze then shifted from the sandy-haired man to the window. _If we leave though the window, _she thought, _I wouldn't be able to get to Fiyero._

She was frustrated that she couldn't read Razaf's mind, wanting so desperately to know _why_ she couldn't. Was it some hidden deficiency she had? Or was it the powers that he was rumored to have? But then again, she thought. _I can't read Morrible's mind either. All I sense there is silence. Complete, utter silence. Didn't she say she had some sort of control over the weather, though…?_

But as she narrowed her blue eyes and used her powers to probe around Razaf's mind, she would only hit a brick wall of unprocessed, raw thought. She couldn't distinguish what it was, since it was so jumbled and meshed together.

_Come to think of it,_ she thought wonderingly. _The only time I have ever felt this sort of convoluted thought was from Elphaba. But that's impossible. Elphaba's in Zo and Razaf's here in Oz. They have absolutely no connection—_

Razaf's cough pulled her out of her thoughts.

"So," the man said. "What do you say?"

"We can't go through the window," Bolynda said quickly, wanting to pace as she always does when she is this nervous.

"Why not?" Razaf sounded a bit offended that his brilliant escape plan had been shut down.

"I'm afraid of heights," Bolynda spurted out, glad that she had a natural talent for quick-thinking. She stared at Razaf as the young man contemplated this, his emerald green eyes narrowing.

"But it's not too far down," argued Razaf. "C'mere, I'll show you—"

"No, no." Bolynda smiled innocently. "It's better if you don't. Why don't we just use the door?"

"Because the door is…" Razaf's voice trailed off. "The door is perfect. Nevermind." He wanted to hit himself. Since he been a prisoner at Southstairs, he always resorted to the more extreme measures of things.

Bolynda gave him a toothy grin, biting back an '_I told you so'_. She walked across the small room as Razaf tugged on the ornate, emerald-colored door handle. It opened with ease, allowing the two escapees access to the green corridor that waited beyond.

Before they could step out of the office, however, Razaf turned to Bolynda. He gave her a small smile and said,

"I forgot to mention this to you earlier. You look stunning in that dress."

Bolynda blushed deeply. "Th-thank y-you," she stammered. She then remembered Fiyero had told her the same thing, except she had to goad him into it. This came from Razaf's own heart. It didn't sound forced, or fake, like Fiyero's had. It sounded true and sincere, as if Razaf had meant every word he said. And that in itself made her head reel.

She then hastily shook her head, clearing her mind. She had to think about that later, not now. First she had to save her new lover before something could happen to him that she could never forgive herself for.

And without further hesitation, the two escapees stepped into winding corridors of the Green Palace, their forms quickly disappearing out of sight.

***

The Wizard couldn't believe his luck. He had managed to capture one of the Great Witch's daughters without even a struggle form the high authority herself.

_What was the young girl doing all the way out here?_ _Was she with Elphaba?_ he thought absentmindedly to himself as he strode to where his two Wolf companions were waiting for him.

"Sir," Sorin breathed, the brown Wolf's voice ragged. "Sir, she was faster than we thought." He thought about telling him about the flaming girl he and Turak had seen with the blonde, but he decided to keep his jaws shut. His master would think he was crazy.

"Don't tell me Glinda outran you two?" the Wizard exclaimed.

Sorin bowed his head. Turak, who was at his side, copied his action. "I'm sorry," the gray wolf murmured softly.

"Well, that's the end of extra meat for you two. I swear, if you lived where I'm originally from, you would practically be begging at my feet for food."

"Don't we already?" Turak asked him, wincing as Sorin gave him a hard swipe to his head.

"Just shut up," the Wizard growled, rubbing at his temple in his impatience. "I need to get out of this Village as soon as possible. How long do you suspect Torif and Cayden would finish loading the furs onto the wagons?"

"Not long," Sorin said. "Actually, they should be done by now."

The good thing about having Wolf assistants is that they were incredibly fast, and reliable too, since the only thing on their minds is food. And since the Wizard meant more food for them, they happily complied with whatever the man told them to do without any need to defy or rebel against him. The reason why Oz couldn't have them as servants or even slaves were beyond him. Then again, he liked hunting down and killing them just the same.

As if on cue, the Tiger and Leopard sauntered over to the Wizard, their beady eyes glowing.

"We are ready to accept our reward for our services," Cayden purred, his spotted fur rippling as he tensed his muscles.

"Food, food," Torif grunted, pawing at the dirt under him. The Tiger swished his long, striped tail, eager to get his claws into some prey.

"Alright, I suppose we could allow a small hunting session," the Wizard thought out loud. He looked at his two Wolves, who were wagging their tails in anticipation. "Get me a rifle, Cayden."

The Leopard was off in a flash. No sooner had he disappeared he came back with a fully loaded rifle in his jaws. He gingerly placed it in the Wizard's hands, the man expertly handling and cocking it. The older man allowed a small smile to play on his wrinkled face as he looked around at his companions.

"Let's go, boys. We have Animals to catch."

"Food, food," Torif growled again. "Birdie Horse. Yum."

"No, not the winged Horse," the Wizard told him as they walked away from the line of wooden wagons. "I want to keep that one until I could fully understand why it has wings in the first place. I have a feeling it has to do with my daughter, but you never know."

He remembered that in his world they had called such winged horses a Pegasus, but he had never imagined such a mythical creature to exist in Zo. But then again…he had never really believed in magic either until he had come to Oz…

Torif looked unsatisfied that he didn't get to indulge himself in what he called the 'Birdie Horse'. The Tiger wanted to be the first to bite into the stringy meat of the highly appetizing Horse. After all, it was his favorite.

"As you wish, master," Cayden purred obediently. "The Horse will be spared…for now."

The Wizard nodded. "Good. Now that _that's _understood, I thought I saw a Goat running around a few minutes earlier. Let's go see if it wants to play."

The Animals around him yowled and howled in laughter as they disappeared into the empty Village, ignorant of their fellow Animals shaking in the shadows, their whimpers echoing throughout the once prosperous, now abandoned streets.

It seemed as if it were only yesterday that this had once been one of the major agricultural centers for the land of Zo. The Animals there had been masters of the land, providing rich, organic products to the hungry citizens of Zo. Ever since the Wizard has wreaked havoc, however, things have changed. Produce stopped coming in, the land was becoming less and less fertile without anyone there to tend to it, harvest seasons came and went without much success and there was an overwhelming fear to where the Evil Wizard (as the Animals started to call him) would strike next.

And it seemed he wouldn't be stopping soon. Not until every last Animal was put into its place. The Wizard might have failed in Oz, but he wasn't about to let that happen again.

And not even the famous Wicked Witch of the West could stop him now.


	44. Chapter 44

**Hey, everybody! Here's chapter 44!**

**I've decided to update on my birthday because…well, it's my birthday! xP**

**Don't be afraid to stop by and wish me happy birthday and review! Those are the greatest birthday presents ever! :D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 44

"Well, I suppose we _could _try the fire thing."

"No, please," Frynda breathed. "I don't want to go through_ that_ again."

"Just let me think for a minute here, then."

Elphaba stroked her angular chin in thought. Frynda had just finished telling her about why she had been unclothed and that only caused Elphaba to succumb into her silent world of thinking.

_But why would her whole body erupt in flames if it she only had it in her arms before?_ she thought. _It seems whenever Frynda is in a tense situation, her body reacts in this way. _

"Are you going to give me a medical diagnosis, doctor?" Frynda chuckled, amused at the way Elphaba seemed to be murmuring random things under her breath.

"This is not medical," said Elphaba, "It's _psychological_. Tell me again the situation in which you discovered your fire power for the first time."

"The elves were shooting arrows at me," the younger red-skinned girl replied. "They were about to pierce right through me before a column of fire erupted right out of my hands."

"And you said this was right after you put your hands in the fire, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," giggled Frynda, feeling as if she was a patient in a doctor's office.

"Then you must have channeled this fire internally somehow."

Frynda blinked. "Did I…_absorb _it?"

"Exactly," Elphaba said, snapping her fingers. "That's the only way I can explain it right now. That internal fire must have been waiting for a trigger and Glinda's arrival was just that. A trigger."

"Don't forget the Wolves," Frynda added lightly.

Elphaba nodded. "The Wolves were just the icing on the cake."

"Okay, so now I know what to do. I just won't get mad."

Elphaba chuckled at her younger sister's naivety. "Good luck with that. I suspect in this rather grim situation you won't be able to get in many happy thoughts."

_It's not like I have many to begin with_, Frynda thought quickly then shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Elphaba," she said. "I know that my new powers could help us out here, but I'm just too scared and—"

"Shh." The green woman softly shushed the red girl before she could say anything else. "It's okay. I'm not asking you to use your powers. Why would I need your powers when I already have my own?"

"You have powers?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, as if saying '_duh_'. "You ready forgot I tried to cast a spell on you the night you came to my house?"

Frynda flushed, obviously embarrassed. "Oh, y-yeah. I'm sorry."

Elphaba smiled as she remembered the very first time she had met the red girl.

"What about _your _magic?" the green woman asked Frynda.

"Oh, I'm no good at magic," the red girl replied quickly, "unless it involves fire, of course. Mother had tried to teach us all some sort of it, but only Zafryna was able to do it well. Bolynda didn't seem all too interested in it…come to think of it, she was never interested in _anything _except boys."

"Boys, huh?" Elphaba chuckled, an amused twinkle in her brown eyes. "It seems Melena had her hands full with that blue sister of ours."

Frynda nodded, still not used to the fact that Elphaba was her sister too. "Yeah. She was always getting into all sorts of trouble. And now that she's in Oz, only the Named God knows what she's going to do."

Elphaba nodded her agreement. "Yeah, that's—wait." Her voice cracked. "Did you just say that she was in Oz?"

Frynda slowly nodded, an alarm instantly going off in her head as she realized Elphaba was dead serious. "Yes, she's in Oz. I thought I told Glinda that. Didn't she tell you?"

_Of course she did,_ Elphaba thought, remembering back in the Never-Ending Forest that the blonde had told her why Melena had left the Red Palace. She had been fuming that day and was only focused on escaping from Frynda and therefore Melena.

_I just wasn't listening, _Elphaba thought bitterly._ Like always._

"No, I think it slipped her mind," Elphaba's lie was shaky as she looked down at her green hands. "So Bolynda's in Oz? This cannot be good."

"Why? What's wrong?"

Elphaba turned to her sister, gazing deep into her amber eyes. "Frynda, there are certain things that are different here than in Oz. For one, they are less tolerant."

Frynda was clearly confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means that they are not accepting of people with different skin color. Like you and me."

"Well, that's just stupid," the sixteen–year-old huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Who would want to live _there?_"

"Believe it or not, _I _do," Elphaba chuckled. "I have a long history there, but you don't need to know about that right now. Just know that in Oz they are absolutely terrified of things that are abnormal. Animals, for example."

"Animals are hated too?"

"Unfortunately, ever since the Wizard set foot in Oz there had been hatred for Animals."

Frynda then gestured with her head at the door of the caravan. "And I'm guessing _he's_ the one?"

"The one and only," Elphaba sighed heavily. "I still can't believe he's my father."

"Me neither," admitted Frynda. "You're nothing like him."

"Thanks," the green woman told her. "My life's work has been dedicating to helping Animals in Oz. To see them treated here like this…it kills me inside. And to know it's being caused by the very same man who gave life to me…"

Elphaba buried her head in her hands, trying hard not to cry again.

Frynda sensed her sister needed comfort and she scooted closer to the older woman. She hesitantly put her arm around the bony shoulders and pulled the green woman close.

Elphaba didn't resist or pull away. She just let her youngest sister comfort her in the only way she can. She felt the auburn–haired girl lean her head against her shoulder and she smiled into her hands, instantly feeling better. She had missed this type of contact. Not a lover's touch, like Glinda, but a simple, uncomplicated embrace from a sibling.

Nessarose hadn't been much of a sister to her, but a sister nonetheless. Nessa had tried to be somewhat friendly to her, but it would have always been clouded with the thin blanket of disgust at her verdigris. Elphaba had admitted to herself a long time ago that her former wheelchair-bound sister had been nothing more than a distant relative.

Shell, on the other hand…

She felt salty tears burn into her hands as she thought about her brother. He had been the only one who had actually cared for her. She remembered the pained look on his face when she told him she was going against the Wizard to fight for what she believed in. The lad had been only thirteen, but he had understood why his sister was leaving him.

_Oh, Shell,_ she thought. _If only you knew that I'm alive and that I miss you dearly._

Frynda soothingly rubbed Elphaba's back, humming a tuneless melody in the back of her throat. She had never been one to comfort—she usually was the one that was _being_ comforted. She hoped she was doing it right. The way Elphaba seemed to relax in her embrace told her just that.

"Thank you, Frynda," Elphaba whispered, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand, wincing softly at the painful stings that accompanied the action.

Suddenly the caravan jerked, causing its two occupants to be thrown against the wooden wall. Once Elphaba regained her senses, she registered what was happening to them.

"We're moving," she whispered.

"That's not good," Frynda said, the worry evident in her small voice. "I only hope Glinda doesn't get into any trouble while we're here."

Elphaba glanced at the younger girl. "If I know anything about my love, it's that she will try her hardest to get where I am. For once I hope she gets distracted and goes to safety. There's nothing good that can come out of her being here."

"What do you think the Wizard wants with us?" Frynda asked her.

"I'm not sure," Elphaba answered truthfully. "Though I do think he wants to do something with you and Melena. Only Oz knows what he wants to do with _me_."

Frynda let out a gulp. This was going be a long ride for both of the girls.

***

Glinda walked quickly down the dirt road, Mantu at her side. They arrived at an empty Village, their hopes dashed as they realized the Wizard had already left. As she was looking through the Village for any sign of her Elphie, Glinda came across something very familiar strewn across the earth-worn floor of a rather small hut.

She bent down to pick up Elphaba's satchel, Mantu crawling up to her with a curious expression on his face.

"This is Elphaba's bag," he whispered, touching its brown leather exterior. "This means she has been here before."

"Elphie," Glinda repeated her love's name softly, clutching the satchel close to her chest. Suddenly there was a rattle outside of the small hut and a groan could be heard outside. Mantu hurriedly went to investigate, Glinda staying inside, afraid of what might loom beyond the hut's safety.

Mantu's head then popped out of the entrance; his bright green eyes wide open in shock. "Glinda! You must come here and see this!"

The blonde reluctantly complied, swinging Elphaba's satchel over her shoulder as she followed Mantu outside. She gasped at the bloody sight before her.

It was Quib, the brown-and-white Goat she had met earlier. He was completely covered in blood and his small hooves kicked and scraped the earth under him in his apparent agony. Mantu was quickly at the Animal's side, his training as a healer instinctively kicking in.

"H-Help me, please…" Quib bleated pitifully as the elf hurriedly inspected his wound. It seemed as if the blood was flowing from a rather serious bullet wound. He had been shot right at his chest, inches from his rapidly-beating heart.

Mantu knew he had limited time to help the Goat, so he turned to Glinda. "I have to help this Goat," he said. "As a healer, it is only my duty."

"Will it take long?" Glinda whined quite selfishly.

Mantu's eyes shadowed. "I fear it must."

"Th-There are others like me," Quib said shakily. "The E-Evil W-Wizard have shot us and left us for d-d-dead."

Mantu felt his heart rip in two as his gaze swept over the Animal's piteous condition. He imagined others like him and he clenched his small, green fists, already knowing what he had to do.

He turned to the rather pale-looking blonde in front of him. "This is where we must part, Glinda."

Quib let out a ragged moan as the elf continued, "I'm sorry, but I'm needed here more than you need me. Tell Frynda…"

Glinda raised a brow.

"Tell Frynda she was a good friend. A good friend indeed." Without another word, he slipped his arms under the bleeding Goat's flanks, lifting him with a strength no one would suspect a little green elf like him would have.

He gave Glinda a final nod before rushing deep into the Village, his form quickly disappearing out of sight. The blonde stared after him, her mouth agape.

_Oh my Oz,_ she thought. _Who would know that an elf could care so much for Animals? Elphie would love him._

Thinking of Elphaba again, she shook her head. She fingered the leather strap that lay across her chest and ran out of the empty Village, following the very obvious tire tracks that had been imprinted on the dirt road.

Once she was sure that she was on the right track, she took off in a sprint, eager to see her green love again.

That is…_if _she saw her again.

***

Bolynda quickly took the lead, her soft footsteps closely matching Razaf's hurried pace. The man noticed the blue girl had clearly other intentions in her mind other than escape, but he let it slide.

He then swiftly dragged Bolynda into a corner as he saw the shadow of a Gale Force guard dance across the emerald walls. He quietly shushed her as she started to protest against his grip.

"Don't you see him?" Razaf hissed to her, gesturing with his head to the lingering guard, who had stopped to fix something on his green uniform jacket.

"Oh," was all the blue girl could say as the guard swept past them, totally unaware of the two escapees barely two feet away from him.

Razaf pulled Bolynda out of the shadowy corner and instead of continuing their escape; he gripped her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked her fiercely.

"What do you_ think_ I'm doing?" Bolynda snapped back just as forcefully. "Escaping!"

"Yeah? To _Southstairs_?" Razaf hissed. "Bolynda, I wasn't born yesterday. This is not the way to the exit and you know that."

"I _do_," the Zoian woman spat and shrugged away his grip. "I need to save him. I don't care if you come with me or not. I just need to save him!"

In a softer voice she added, "I…I love him."

Without another word, she disappeared down the corridor, where the unguarded gates of Southstairs loomed beyond her.

Razaf watched the blue girl enter the prison with hurt in his green eyes. After all he had risked for the girl, she still insists on saving that idiot of a man. He let out a sigh and ran after her, thinking that he might as well go with whatever the lovesick girl planned to do.

***

Morrible came to an empty office and her steely gray eyes narrowed dangerously. She knew this was coming. She knew somehow her plan would come to a falter.

_But no worries,_ she thought to herself. _Morrible always has a plan up her sleeve._

She then ironically pulled up her sleeve, revealing a rather lovely bracelet. It had a rather ornate silver chain and an intricate blue diamond jewel. The beautiful piece of jewelry rested right where her wrist met her forearm and she tapped it lightly, the jewel glowing ever slightly.

_Southstairs,_ she supposed. _It's telling me they're in Southstairs. How odd._

She shook her arm, jiggling the bracelet. She tapped it again and it told her the same thing.

_Southstairs. _

_Well, it seems Miss Bolynda is indeed in Southstairs,_ she thought incredulously. With a smirk, she added, _No doubt after her lover._

With a wide swoop of her arm, she sauntered out of the room, the charmed locator on her wrist glowing as it indicated its partner's whereabouts.

_I don't think Bolynda has noticed yet of my little trickery, _she thought. _The necklace she wears so proudly is nothing but a beautiful, magicked piece of jewelry. Having powers of prophecy has its benefits_, she purred to herself.

She was about to open the gates to the infamous prison when a light touch to her shoulder stopped her. She grumbled under breath, wondering who would dare interrupt her when she was about to—

She gasped loudly as she turned around; coming face-to-face with a person she thought she would never have to see again.

"Ah…we meet again."

***

Glinda's heart raced in excitement as she spotted the last wagon in a long line of caravans. She had no doubt that her lover was in one of them. She stepped up her pace, the satchel she was carrying banging annoyingly at her thighs as she sprinted the final distance to the last wagon.

As she neared the wagon, she let out a bold leap, one of her dainty hands managing to catch the handle to the door. She let out a small cry as she dangled there for a second, feeling her foot slowly slip off the narrow step below her.

She saw the rapidly moving ground under her before she swung around, managing to grasp the handle with her other hand. Before she had the chance to lose any more of her already unsure footing, she quickly studied the lock on the door. Fortunately for her, it seemed the last one to have used the lock had clumsily done it, giving her the chance she needed to undo it.

She did so hurriedly, sweat already collecting on her forehead from her increasing nervousness. Her blonde curls bounced on her shoulders as she dared to lean back as far as she could, allowing the now unlocked door to swing in front of her, revealing a large, musty interior. Glinda didn't bother to see if Elphaba was in there or not as she threw herself inside, hastily closing the door behind her.

She heard the soft _'click'_ of the lock falling into place and she let out a sigh of relief. She placed a hand on her chest, feeling the steady pounding of her rapidly-beating heart. That's when she took the time to study her surroundings. She was in some sort of stable cart, with sparse piles of hay strewn this way and that across the wooden floor.

The wagon jerked violently as she crawled her way through the dim-lit space, her nose crinkling at the strong odor. She then noticed an irregular-looking shape near the back and she dared to speak.

"Elphie…?"

No response. The mysterious shape shifted slightly, telling her it was indeed something…or some_one_. As she crept closer, she noticed something rather loped about the figure. A rustling sound was heard and she felt something tickle her knees. She looked down to see a rather large black feather.

_A feather?_ she thought, raising a perfectly tweezed brow. _What in Oz…?_

She then let out a faint gasp at her sudden realization. "Adagio," she whispered to herself. She hastily made her way towards the slumbering Horse, placing her hands on his black-fur, feeling its soft texture sift through her sensitive fingers.

"Gio," she whispered softly, squeezing her hands gently on the Horse's flank. "Wake up. It's me, Glinda."

The Horse just let out a mumble, his ears twitching as if flicking off an annoying fly.

"Adagio, wake up," Glinda tried again, but to no avail. It seemed as if Adagio had been put under some sort of Sleeping Spell, but the blonde knew that it was that thing that the Wizard had thrown at him. The sleeping powder.

The blonde stroked his long, black mane as she thought of ways to wake up a Horse.

_It must be no different than waking up Elphie,_ she thought wonderingly. _But then again, I can't kiss Adagio awake. There must be something else I can do…_

She then spotted it. It was a dirty bowl of water, but she knew it was better than nothing. She hastily grabbed it, careful not to spill it as she brought it over to Adagio's head. She held it dangerously close to the Horse's closed eyelids, his loud snores echoing off the wooden walls around them.

_Now _this_ is one thing I can't do with Elphie_, Glinda thought and gingerly tipped the bowl, splashing the water all over Adagio's snout. The winged Horse let out a cough and his brown eyes fluttered open.

"What was t-that?" he sputtered, lifting his head and shaking the sleep out of his eyes.

"Water, Gio."

Adagio's eyes focused on the blonde next to him, his furry brows knitting together. He then let out a surprised neigh and flicked his ears forward.

"Glinda?"

"The one and only," giggled the blonde in response.

"How did you get in here?" he asked her, his voice several octaves lower.

"I sort of…let myself in," Glinda replied. "The question is…what happened to _you_, Gio?"

"I'm not sure," the Horse admitted. "All I remember was the Wizard, then…black." He shuddered, remembering the look of pure evil he had seen on the Wizard's face just before he had been knocked out.

Glinda felt the Horse shudder and she gave him a reassuring pat. "We're in some sort of wagon now."

"Is the Wizard still here?" Adagio asked her.

"I'm afraid he's captured you—" Glinda then looked at the bolted door, her heart sinking a little. "Er…_us _now."

"Well, that's just lovely," Adagio mumbled sarcastically. He then twitched his wing muscles, grimacing as he tried to spread them. The muscles screamed in protest, having been in one position for far too long. "I'm surprised he hasn't killed me yet."

"Adagio, how could you _say_ such a thing?" Glinda chastised him. Her expression then softened. "I believe it was those wings that saved you."

Adagio looked up at the blonde, his big, brown eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Oh? How so?"

"I'm sure any human would be curious as to why a Horse has wings. And last time I checked, the Wizard was human."

"No, he's something less," disagreed the Horse rapidly. "He's a monster."

"True, very true."

Adagio then stared at her, a certain sadness clouding his usually happy-go-lucky expression. "What happened to Elphie?" he asked, having sensed the strain in the blonde's voice.

"I hope she's in the same situation as you are," Glinda said. "If she is, then she must be in another wagon."

"And if she's not?"

Glinda closed her eyes and suddenly turned away from the Horse. "I don't want to think about that right now."

Adagio flattened his ears, instantly regretting having probed the blonde in such a sensitive matter. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm sure she's here."

Glinda nodded, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears that were starting to form around her blue eyes.

Except for the constant shifting of the wagon's contents as it moved, an uneasy silence settled on the blonde and Animal.

Adagio then broke it with a light cough. "What now?" he asked but it seemed Glinda was in another world.

"Now we wait," was all she said, placing her chin on her knees as she scrunched herself close to Adagio's black-furred body. She gave him a little smile as he wrapped one of his massive, feathered wings around her small frame.

She sighed heavily and reached over to stroke the Horse's soft, black mane. "Now we wait for whatever hell the Wizard has in store for us."

Adagio rolled his eyes and snorted. "That sounds fun."


	45. Chapter 45

**Yay! Chapter update! **

**Thanks to all of you who wished me a happy birthday. It made me feel special. :P**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 45

Melena knew she had to get out of there one way or another. She couldn't stand the stare of the red-headed girl next to her anymore, the girl once again sitting too close for comfort.

"Don't you have anything else better to do than stare at me?" the pale woman asked bitterly.

Jaslyn smiled in her hand, which was placed on her chin as she observed this odd woman she had come across with. "Nope."

Melena let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. "That's just peachy."

"You want anythin' to drink?" Jaslyn suddenly asked her, remembering her manners. _She must be very thirsty, _she thought._ Just look at the awful state she's in._

Melena opened her mouth and was about to tell her just where to put her drink, but she closed it, an idea forming in her mind.

"As a matter of fact," she said wonderingly. "I _am_ parched. A little water won't hurt right now."

Jaslyn smiled and got up from the wicker chair she had placed next to Melena's bed. "Comin' right up!" Without another word she left the room.

Melena saw her chance. She hastily got up, the wound on her stomach throbbing painfully as she took a step towards the exit, but just then the door jiggled and Melena had no choice but to dive back into the bed.

"Ah, here we go," came the cheery voice from the partly open door. A small, noisy cart made its way through the entrance, followed along by the girl that was pushing it. Jaslyn wheeled the cart over to Melena's bed, not noticing the odd way she was positioned.

"I've got lemonade, ginger ale an' cider. Which do you prefer?"

Melena raised a brow, quickly fixing her body until she was facing the younger girl. "Water. I said water."

Her heart lifted as she saw Jaslyn's expression falter for a second. _Maybe she forgot it,_ she thought. _That could be my chance—_

"I have that too."

Melena's heart took a nosedive as Jaslyn grabbed a pitcher and started to fill a glass with the clear fluid. Melena half-heartily accepted the glass; her eyes shadowed as she gulped down the refreshing liquid, feeling it soothe her dry throat.

Jaslyn smiled at her, sat back in her wicker chair and watched her guest drink the water. Even the way the woman held the glass, so regally and poised, mesmerized the fifteen-year-old. There was just something that was so entrancing about her. It was as if she had come from another world.

Melena handed the glass back to Jaslyn, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end as the girl gleefully accepted the glass as if it was some award or trophy. The pale woman sighed and leaned her back against the pillow, giving her bandaged wound an annoyed side-glance.

_If it wasn't for this_, _I would have reached Bolynda by now_, she thought bitterly. _Why does this girl have to be such a good Samaritan?_

As Jaslyn started to chat idly again, she groaned inwardly. She had a feeling she was going to be here for a long,_ long_ time.

***

Zafryna and Inett exchanged a horrified glance.

"That's terrifying," Inett breathed. "What do you think he would want with her? She's from another land."

"Her skin's a different color," Zafryna reasoned. "He must think she's one of Melena's daughters."

"Which she _is_—"

"As usual, Inett," snapped Zafryna, "_you're not helping any_."

"Sorry," was all the brunette mumbled as the yellow-skinned woman got up from the bed they had been sitting on.

"We'll have to warn Simon," the older girl said. "He has to alert our guards that the Evil Wizard could be coming with Elphaba."

"We have guards?" Inett asked, shocked. In her years here at the Red Palace, she had never seen any guard except Simon, who was just the doorman of the Palace. To hear there was actually security baffled her beyond belief.

"Of course," Zafryna said as if it was the most obvious thing. "Do you think we're really stupid?"

"No, not _really_ stupid," muttered Inett under her breath, but fortunately Zafryna was too preoccupied to hear. The yellow-skinned woman dragged the brunette off the bed and pulled her out of the room. She then whirled around to face her friend, gripping her shoulders.

"Inett, listen to me," Zafryna told her fiercely. "This is a very dangerous situation. The Evil Wizard has never chosen to directly affect us in this way. Usually he has just stirred up trouble in parts of Zo, but this is _way_ different from that."

She took a deep breath, staring into Inett's frightened hazel eyes. "I need you to stay calm and help me, okay?"

"I'll try," the girl squeaked, wincing as Zafryna's grip became tighter.

"Good. First we need to warn everyone. You take upstairs and I'll take downstairs, just in case the Wizard had decided to show up early. Then—"

"Wait, Zaf," Inett said, shrugging off the older girl's grip. "How are you so sure he's even _coming_?"

"Um…" Zafryna narrowed her green eyes, realizing her friend had a very valid point. She then shrugged. "I have a feeling, okay?"

"These strange feelings of yours are starting to scare me in more ways than one," Inett whispered. "But I trust you, Zaf. I'll do what you say."

Zafryna gave her a curt nod, glad that her friend understood the urgency of the situation. Leaving the brunette to carry out her duties, she practically flew down the rest of the corridor and down the staircase. The yellow-skinned woman then hurriedly made her way to Simon, who stared back at her with an amused expression on his red-bearded face.

"Back so soon?" the doorman smirked.

"This is no time for your sarcastic immaturity," Zafryna hissed at him as she came to a halt right in front of the uniformed man. "The Evil Wizard is coming."

Simon was clearly startled by the woman's sudden revelation. "W-what?"

"You have to alert the Red Storm Guard."

Simon blinked. It has been_ years_ since he had to alert the Palace's guard of _anything_, let alone because the most feared person in all of Zo was on his way towards them. He gave Zafryna a quick salute, his years of military training kicking in.

"I'm on it," he said and hurriedly left her.

Zafryna watched him go, sighing heavily.

_For once, I wish Melena was here_, she thought_. She would know what to do._

With a swift turn of her heel, she left to finish warning the rest of the Palace of the impending danger.

***

Simon banged on the heavy, wooden door, startling its occupant.

"Open up!" he barked. "Lady Zafryna's direct orders!"

A weary-looking man opened the door, scratching his unshaved beard. "Wha' does she want?" he asked groggily. He was wearing his blue-striped pajamas, as if he hadn't bothered to take them off in the morning.

"She wants you to assemble the Red Storm Guard as quickly as you possibly can."

"What?" the pajama-clad man shrieked. "But what could possibly be wrong at this ungodly hour?"

"Captain, it is an hour past noon," Simon told him. "And the Evil Wizard is on his way here."

The captain almost choked on oxygen as he registered what was currently happening. "By the Named God!" he exclaimed. "I'll fetch the guard immediately. Let me get ready and I'll head to the barracks in a few minutes."

"Hurry up, then!" Simon snapped and closed the door himself. He waited outside for a few minutes, tapping his foot impatiently. When the captain finally emerged from the room, now wearing his maroon-colored uniform standard of the Red Storm Guard, the doorman let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally," he growled. "Let's go."

Without another word, the two men headed down the long hallway to the barracks, where the members of the Red Storm Guard were surprised to discover they were needed for once. Quickly the captain ushered them into their uniforms, not bothering to waste any time fixing their collars or hats.

The numerous guards headed out of the entrance of the barracks, rifles in hand. Simon watched them go with a clouded expression on his face.

_I sure hope Zafryna knows what she is doing,_ he thought dismally before following the uniformed men out of the large room.

***

Bolynda quickly located Fiyero's cell, it having been the one she herself had previously occupied not too long ago. She spotted him sitting on the floor, his head buried in his hands.

"Fiyero," she whispered to herself and made her way towards the cell door. Fiyero must have noticed her presence, for he looked up at her, his blue eyes clouded with an emotion she couldn't quite read.

"Bolynda," he breathed and shakily stood up, his green uniform heavily rumpled and filthy. He limped over to where the blue girl stood, reaching through the bars to clutch her waiting hand.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "How did you escape Morrible?"

Bolynda's heart couldn't help but break as she saw her lover miserable like this. She tightened her grip on the dark-skinned man's hand and she spoke quietly,

"I came to get you out of here."

Fiyero shook his head. "No, Bolynda. That's impossible—"

"Yero, do you possibly think a little lock like this could stop me?" chuckled Bolynda.

Fiyero flinched when the blue girl used the old nickname Elphaba used to call him. He just watched her as she reluctantly let go of his hand and focused on the rusty lock that separated her from her new lover.

"Yifer samit efus," she chanted, wiggling her blue, slender fingers over the lock. It clicked satisfyingly, allowing her to remove it from the latch and toss it aside. The Unlocking Spell was one of the few spells she had managed to perfect through her years of learning magic. It had become quite useful when it came to having to share a bathroom with two other sisters back in Zo.

Fiyero stared in amazement as Bolynda gingerly opened his cell door.

"Wow, you truly_ are_ magical," he said as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Aw, that was so nice of you to say!" Bolynda giggled. "It's just one of my many talents. You're still wondering how I'm here?"

Fiyero opened his mouth to ask how she knew that, but he closed it, remembering the blue witch could read minds.

"Thank you for coming back for me," he said as Bolynda brought him in for a rather intricate kiss.

"You honestly thought I was going to escape without you?" she breathed when they parted. She affectionately stroked his black hair and planted little kisses on the blue tattoos on his skin. She then brought a blue hand to the edge of his strong, chiseled jaw and brought him in for another, rather long kiss.

He couldn't suppress a moan as she gently nibbled at the spot under his ear that drove him crazy.

"I love you," Bolynda confessed in his ear before releasing him to look into his deep, dark blue eyes.

Fiyero was startled for a second, wondering if he had heard correctly. Did she just say what he _thought _she just said?

Bolynda's smile wavered, noticing the way her lover's expression quickly changed from relieved to confused. His thoughts whirled in her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to pinpoint just one of them. She was afraid they would tell her exactly what she feared. That Fiyero didn't love her back.

Fiyero was about to open his mouth to reply, but a cough sounded from somewhere behind Bolynda, saving him from a rather awkward situation.

It was Razaf, the last person he expected to be there.

***

Razaf had watched this whole interaction with a heart feeling like it was under attack by the whole Gale Force Army. Why did he feel this way? Was it the way that the blue girl he was so fond of had just confessed her love for the very man he hated? Or was it the way the man just stared back at her, as if she had just told him he had five heads?

He shook his head; not wanting to come to terms that the whole reason his heart was aching so was that he had feelings for Bolynda. He then knew couldn't lie to himself or his slowly breaking heart.

…he _did _have feelings for Bolynda. He has had them ever since he had met the girl in his cell just yesterday. What was it about her that made him want to do anything for her? It was the way she smiles at him, it was the way she walks ever so confidently, it was the way she just…_is_.

Right now he wanted to punch Fiyero for being so brainless. It was clear that the man didn't return Bolynda's feelings for him, but it seemed everyone knew but the blue girl herself.

He couldn't stand the hurt look on Bolynda's face any longer. He let out a cough, interrupting the rather precarious situation between the two lovers.

Fiyero looked absolutely terrified when he saw Razaf standing there, a hand on the cell door. He felt his heart race as he separated himself from Bolynda and her pleading, blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" the former Emperor choked out.

"Well, I_ was_ helping Bolynda escape, but it is painfully obvious she has other intentions in mind." Razaf spun on his heel and started to leave the cell when Bolynda stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Razaf, wait," she said as the sandy-haired man slowly turned around to face her again. "I needed to get to Fiyero. You understand that, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, but unfortunately I don't." There was a strain in his voice and Bolynda noticed it. "I thought we were in this together, Bolynda…"

"Razaf, what's wrong with you?" she asked him forcefully, letting him go to put her hands on her hips in an irritated fashion.

Razaf just stared at her, his emerald green eyes full of hurt. He was glad the girl couldn't read his mind or else she would have clearly known what was going on. He then gave her a shrug and left the cell, his eyes trained on the floor as he left the two lovers alone.

"You're working with _him_?" Fiyero asked Bolynda suddenly, startling her. She had watched Razaf leave, a certain feeling she had never felt before creeping up her spine. Guilt.

Bolynda had never felt guilty about _anything_ in her life, so this was something new and strange for her. She felt sad that Razaf had walked away from them with a look of total dejection, but then again, she loved Fiyero more than Razaf…right?

Bolynda shook her head, breaking herself out of her thoughts to answer Fiyero's question. "He's not a bad guy, Yero," she told him.

"He tried to fucking _kill _me," the former Emperor snarled. "Bolynda, if we're ever going to get far in this relationship…or whatever we have, I suggest you stop associating with him."

Bolynda was clearly offended at his rebuke. "But, Yero—"

"But _nothing_," Fiyero said firmly. "It's obvious he has some sort of sick affixation with you. Why do you think he's helping you?"

"Maybe because he's my _friend?_" Bolynda shot back angrily.

Fiyero blinked, thinking that for a second there Bolynda sounded a lot like his Fae.

Bolynda crossed her arms. _There he goes_, she thought. _Thinking about that Fae person again._

She then grabbed his arm, yanking him out of his thoughts. "Let's go. The more we wait the more chances Morrible has of capturing us again. Let's just hope we can get out of here without Razaf's help."

Fiyero couldn't help but to be dragged by the blue woman, his mind still reeling. Could it be possible that Bolynda is related to Elphaba in some way?

_Nah,_ he thought, momentarily forgetting Bolynda could read his mind. _That's impossible. Bolynda told me herself that she's not from here. _

He blinked._ Then where is she from?_

He didn't have time to answer his own question—not that he would have an answer to it anyways—as Bolynda yanked him out of the claustrophobic cell.

Together, the lovers disappeared into the depths of Southstairs, their forms moving quickly out of sight.


	46. Chapter 46

**Here's an update (finally)!**

**Enjoy~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 46

"What do you want, _Boq_?"

The Munchkin man looked at Morrible, his brown eyes narrowed dangerously. He shifted in his seat and fixed his small hat nervously. "I want my mother."

Morrible couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "You came to me looking for your _Mommy?_"

Boq gritted his teeth. "She is in Southstairs."

"Well," Morrible said, "if she's in Southstairs, I'm sure there's a good reason for it—"

"No, you don't understand!" Bow leaned forward towards the desk, surprising Morrible (who's already hard to surprise). "My mother has done _nothing_ wrong! It was Fiyero who put her there for no absolute reason!"

"Fiyero, huh?" Morrible leaned back in her chair. She drummed her fingertips thoughtfully against the armrests of the chair. She remembered the former Emperor mentioning to her that it was Boq who had told him about the status of Elphaba and Glinda's relationship. Her mind whirled as she pondered over how she could use this to her advantage.

"Boq, Fiyero's in Southstairs," Morrible told the obviously irate Munchkin.

"So I've heard," Boq grumbled. "I was there at the meeting not too long ago. He killed the captain of the guard with that blue…_thing_." He then chuckled. "I would've expected no less from a man with a brain made out of straw."

"You are well informed, Master Boq," Morrible told him, trying to sound genuinely impressed. "You haven't changed at all since I've last seen you. Apart from being human again, of course."

Boq then muttered something under his breath at this. Morrible noticed his odd behavior and raised a brow.

"What was that, Boq?"

"Nothing."

Morrible blinked and crossed her arms. "I think I heard the word 'Glinda' in there somewhere. Tell me, was it _she_ who turned you back into a man?"

"Unfortunately," growled the dark-haired Munchkin.

"Now, if I remember correctly," Morrible said, lacing her fingers together, "Glinda had come to your house not too long ago."

Boq gasped.

"Yes, Boq, I know she's alive too. Fiyero was so kind enough as to provide that information to me."

"Yes, she came to my house," the small man spat. "With that…with that…"

"With who?"

"Elphaba!" he shrieked, so loudly that Morrible had to shush him in order for the rest of the people in the Green Palace not to know of their meeting the Emperor's office.

"_The_ Elphaba?" Morrible acted as if she didn't know the green woman was alive.

"How many other Elphaba's _are_ there?" Boq shouted, practically yelling at her. "Of _course _I meant Elphaba! The Wicked Witch of the—"

Morrible reached over to clasp a hand over his mouth, stopping the angry Munchkin from spilling her greatest weapon. She released her hand gently and discreetly wiped it against the side of her dress.

"This is terrifying news indeed," she said, sitting back down. "But there's no reason to yell. I may be old but not _that _old."

Boq raised a brow, but said nothing, for he had learned to fear Morrible throughout his years at Shiz and the time he had spent as the Tin Man.

"You didn't know?" he asked, his voice much quieter. "Fiyero didn't tell you?"

Morrible decided to play dumb. "No, he didn't. He just mentioned Glinda."

Boq crossed his arms over his chest, huffing at something Morrible couldn't see. "Well, that's only natural that he would protect the enemy. I wouldn't be surprised if they were lovers at one time."

Morrible almost choked on Boq's scarily accurate guessing, but she decided to switch the subject.

"So the Wicked Witch is alive? That means all of our hard work has gone to waste," she said, remembering the way Boq had been the one to lead the Witch Hunters to the castle to supposedly 'melt' the Witch with water.

"I would do it all over again," the Munchkin growled. "And this time add Glinda to the mix too."

Morrible scratched her chin. "You…_dislike_ Glinda? I thought you had an affixation with her…?"

"_Had_," Boq stressed. "Ever since I found out she was in a relationship with—" Suddenly Boq stopped, catching himself. He cast a wary side-glance at Morrible before finishing,

"With Elphaba."

"Relationship?" Morrible leaned forward until she was uncomfortably close to the Munchkin's face. This was what she was waiting for. "What…_kind _of relationship?"

Boq let out a gulp. "I…I don't think we should be talking about this." He didn't like Glinda anymore, that was true, but he wasn't _cruel_. For some reason he knew Morrible would only manipulate and twist his words in directions they shouldn't have taken in the first place.

"Oh, come _on_ now, dearie," Morrible said, exasperated. "Don't you remember how we used to work _together_ to help get rid of the Witch? Or…has that _conveniently_ left your mind?"

"I remember," Boq said quietly.

"Then we have to work _together_ on this," Morrible stressed firmly. "If the Witch is indeed alive, we must try our all to stop her. And now that I have this new power, there are no limits to what I can do. What _we _can do."

"Who says I'm going to help _you_?" Boq asked her, looking disgusted.

"Says your new Empress of Oz," sneered Morrible. "Now let me ask you again: What kind of relationship do Elphaba and Glinda have?"

Boq wanted to leave and forget about why he had come there in the first place, but he knew there was no getting around Morrible when she wanted something. "They have a relationship…of the romantic kind."

"And how did you know this?"

Boq rolled his eyes. "It was _obvious_. You don't see two women walking hand-in-hand every day, you know. And the way Glinda stared at Elphaba as if she was sent from heaven…" His voice trailed off, the hot fury boiling in his gut again.

Morrible then pondered this. _Boq might not have not had different intentions with Fiyero after all_, she thought. _He might have just told him this out of spite and maybe a little childhood revenge._

"And you told Fiyero this?" Morrible asked him.

The dark-haired Munchkin blinked in surprise. For someone who hadn't been there personally, Morrible knew an awful lot about what happened that day in his house back in Munchkinland. "Yes, I did," he said. "Right before he punched me in the face."

Morrible barely suppressed a chuckle as she saw the now receding bruises around Boq's eyes.

"And then that blue witch came and it all started from there."

"Bolynda?" Morrible asked.

"Is that her name? Yeah, the blue witch you were standing beside not too long ago when you made the announcement that you're temporarily leading Oz."

"Bolynda came to _your_ house in Munchkinland? I knew she had appeared somewhere around there when a Munchkin had sent the Gale Force Army to retrieve her, but I had no idea the Munchkin was _you_."

Boq raised a brow. "Yes, that was me. Why?"

Morrible let out a thoughtful hum as her mind worked to wrap around this new information. "Do you happen to know how she appeared in your house?"

"How am_ I_ supposed to know?" Boq shrugged. "I was half-asleep at the time. She just…appeared."

"And no signs of forced entry?"

Boq furrowed his brows, feeling as if he was being interrogated by the police. "No…none that I saw. All I found was this paper—"

"What paper?" Morrible asked him all too quickly.

The Munchkinlander gave a suspicious glance as he reached up to his head and lifted his traditional, yet terribly tacky red Munchkin tea cozy. Underneath it Morrible could see an awfully familiar piece of paper. Her gray eyes widened as she recognized the purple paper and the ancient, scribbled text.

_The Grimmerie!_ she thought excitedly.

Boq barely had time to handle the paper before Morrible snatched it right out of his hands. He let out a very uncharacteristic whine and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"That was mine—"

"Mine now," sneered the older woman as she read over the text. She could tell that this was some sort of spell—being from the Grimmerie, of course—but _what _spell was the problem. No matter how many times she had tried to read the ancient spell book, she couldn't decipher the seemingly endless gobbly-gook that made up the very foundation of the powerful spells in the Grimmerie. The only person she knew who could read the text easily was Elphaba Thropp, a person she couldn't exactly get a hold of right now.

But didn't Boq say that this paper had appeared when Bolynda had stumbled into his house? _Maybe the blue girl could read the Grimmerie! _she thought excitedly, griping the weathered paper in her hands as if it was her own baby.

Boq watched his former Headmistress fawn over the paper with a raised brow. "What is that, really? It looked like a bunch to squiggly lines to me," he said to her.

Morrible looked up at him as if she had forgotten he was there. "Oh, Boq—"

"Forget about it. I don't even want to know. But can I ask you why you are asking me all these questions?"

Morrible gave him a small smile as she looked down at the page from the Grimmerie. "Well, it seems our blue friend isn't even from Oz."

"Of course she's from—wait. Did you just say she wasn't _from_ Oz?"

"Exactly, Boq."

The former Tin Man was baffled. "What do you mean? That's impossible!"

Morrible got up from her seat and let out a heavy sigh, discreetly placing the page in one of her numerous dress pockets. "Not…entirely. Come with me to the Library. I need to see if my assumptionification is true."

Boq raised a brow at Morrible's use of a word he couldn't even begin to pronounce. He then noticed Morrible was waiting for him at the door of the office.

He got up from the plush chair and turned to face the fish-like woman. "I came here for a _reason_," he said firmly. "And it's _not_ to be your messenger boy."

"We'll get to your mother eventually—"

"No. I want to see her _now_." Boq was starting to sound like a whiny brat.

Morrible let out a very animalistic growl and was about to grab Boq's arm before there was a knock in the door. A man's head poked in, his usually bright emerald eyes now lifeless and dull.

"Razaf," Morrible huffed. "There you are. I expected you to deliver Bolynda here. Where is she?" She already knew where the blue girl was, of course. She wanted to know if Razaf had anything to do with Bolynda's escape, though his strange complexion was telling her otherwise. It was as if he had found out his favorite love song was written for a sandwich.

The man just shrugged. "She got away from me," he lied.

"Oh, you useless twit," Morrible seethed. "Thank Oz I know where she went." She tapped the diamond-like jewel on her bracelet and Razaf's eyes opened wide at its familiarity to the very same jewel he was admiring on Bolynda's neck not too long ago.

"You knew all along…?" he asked her, his voice quiet.

Morrible decided to dodge the question as she said, "Well, she cannot last long in the Green Palace by herself."

_She's not by herself_, Razaf wanted to say. _Fiyero's her escort now._ If he was another person he would have said it, but he wasn't_ just_ another person. He was Razaf, the Wizard's son. And the Wizard's son wasn't heartless, unlike the Wizard himself.

"And if what I'm guessing is true," Morrible continued, "she wouldn't last an hour in Oz either. Razaf, I have something to keep you occupied while I look for Bolynda."

Razaf blinked as he glanced at the rather short man next to her. He looked just as confused as he felt.

"I need you to go to the Palace Library and look up a land called Zo."

"Excuse me?" That name sounded familiar to Razaf. _Wasn't Zo that strange land Bolynda said she was from…? The one with the Blue Brick Road?_

"You heard me." Morrible sounded impatient. She then turned to the short man, who Razaf guessed was a Munchkin. "Come with me to Southstairs then, Boq. Let's see if we could do something about your mother while we're there."

_The faster we get to Bolynda, the better,_ she thought, thinking of the newfound paper in her dress pocket. She could barely suppress a cackle at her luck of Boq stumbling upon this very valuable piece of text.

_Maybe the twit has some use to me after all,_ she thought maliciously.

Razaf could only watch as the older woman pulled the very confused-looking Munchkin named Boq out of the office, closing the door shut behind them. He then let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his cropped, sandy-colored hair.

"I wonder how she knows about Bolynda's strange land," he thought out loud. He then felt daggers pierce his heart at the thought of the blue girl he supposedly came to love.

_Love,_ he thought, chuckling darkly. _What is love to me but a waste of my time?_

Whistling to himself, he exited the office and headed towards the Palace Library to do some research.

***

"Oh look at that, you beat me again."

Elphaba pulled her stinging hands away from yet another game of red hands that Frynda enticed her to play. It had been two hours since they were tossed into the wagon and both of the women were starting to get claustrophobic and touchy.

"You were letting me win," the red girl argued. "You barely put up a fight."

"Says the Ozma of Fights herself," mumbled Elphaba. "What's gotten into you, Frynda? Back at the Red Palace you were this shy, sensitive girl and now you're admonishing me for not putting up a better fight?"

"I've changed," Frynda said simply as if it was something she did every day. "Going out on my own for once has toughened me up."

Elphaba raised an arched brow. "Oh really? I can bet what you've seen is just butterflies compared to what_ I've_ seen throughout the years on my own."

"Oh yeah?" piped Frynda, loving a challenge. "I can bet I've seen scarier things than _you've_ ever seen."

"Do I hear a challenge?" Elphaba asked her, smiling wickedly.

"Yes, ma'am!" confirmed Frynda, smiling just as wickedly.

They spent the next couple of minutes exchanging light-hearted banter only meant to tease. Then it jumped to a personal level that Elphaba, unfortunately, didn't notice.

"I've had a whole clan of elves chase after me," Frynda said, picking at her stubby nails. "With _flaming_ arrows too."

"Psh," Elphaba huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "You're naturally resistant to fire, so that doesn't count. I've had water dumped on me and I'm actually _allergic_ to it."

Frynda then frowned. "Why would someone dump water on you, Elphaba, if they knew you were allergic to it?"

Elphaba wanted to hit herself for being so loose-lipped. She stared at the obviously concerned sixteen-year-old and sighed.

"That's not really important, Frynda. It was a long time ago."

"Tell me, Elphaba. I can tell this _was _really important to you, so don't lie to me."

_Damn Frynda's good intuition_, Elphaba cursed silently. She looked down at her boot-covered feet, which she kept close to her side. She looked back up at Frynda and faced those inquisitive amber eyes.

"I guess I should tell you," Elphaba said, her voice sounding defeated. "It's not like you'll know eventually."

Frynda nodded, shifting so she now sat cross-legged in front of the green woman.

"It all started back when I was in Shiz…"

***

Adagio noticed Glinda's head droop into his flank, her blonde curls falling over his black fur. A loud, growling sound suddenly broke the silence that had settled over them just a few minutes before.

"Glinda, you should have eaten that rabbit Elphie got for you," Adagio said as the blonde lifted her head to look up at him, surprise in her baby blue eyes. "Yeah, don't you think I didn't notice it. You look as if you haven't eaten in weeks."

"It's nothing," Glinda said, but grimaced when another sharp pang of hunger tore though her empty stomach. She clutched at it and gave a soft moan, her head feeling as if someone had used it for a punching bag.

"Nothing is what's in your stomach, Glinda," Adagio said firmly. "I would offer you hay, but I don't think you would appreciate it as much as real food."

Glinda gave the Horse a side-glance. "I'm fine…really, Gio—"

"Sure you are," Adagio interrupted her. He gave an annoyed neigh and flicked his ears. "You're going to starve to death if you don't eat something soon."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," moaned Glinda. "Why don't you just tell me when so I could get ready?"

Adagio bared his teeth at her. "This is not funny, Glinda."

Glinda blinked and gave a gasp. There was suddenly a very delicious-looking piece of steak right where Adagio's leg had been a moment before. Her mouth watered and she quickly bent down to bite it. When she did, Adagio let out an alarmed neigh and shook his foreleg, causing the very hungry blonde to release the vice-like grip her teeth had on it.

"What the hell was that?" Adagio cried. "You just bit me!"

Glinda shook her head and the image of the steak disappeared into Adagio's leg again. There was a mark where her teeth had been and suddenly there was a snort in her ear, snapping her out of her dream-like daze for a minute. The steak had been a hallucination. She was starting to have _hallucinations_.

"Glinda, answer me!"

Without warning, Glinda's head slumped forwards as she felt herself start to slip in and out of consciousness. Even in her hunger-drunken state, she could still feel Adagio's hard breathing and his wings shift as he tried to adjust himself in order to get out of the blonde's biting range.

Despite Glinda having bitten his leg for seemingly no reason, Adagio was worried she would pass out on him, so he gave her back a rough nudge with his snout. Glinda's snapped up in surprise and she looked at the winged Horse, a dazed and lost look on her face.

"Glinda," the Horse said, obviously relieved. "I thought you might've—"

The blonde suddenly feel limp against his flank, her frail body finally giving way to the gnawing hunger that she had been trying to hide for the past few hours.

Adagio's brown eyes widened. "Oh, damn. This is _not _good."

***

Bolynda was sure they were lost. Fiyero, on the other hand…wasn't as willing to admit it.

"I should know my way around Southstairs," the former Emperor growled. "I used to be captain of the guard for Oz's sake!"

"If you're so wise," Bolynda said, "then why don't you just get us to the exit already?"

Fiyero cut her a death glare. "It's not as easy as it seems, _Bolynda_," he replied through gritted teeth. "Southstairs had been constructed like a maze, so if one managed to get out they would be unimaginably lost."

"Well, that's good news," Bolynda muttered sarcastically. The lanky, blue-skinned girl looked around the dirt-caked walls around them and shivered involuntarily.

_It seems only a prisoner would know their way around this maze,_ Fiyero thought angrily as he continued to lead Bolynda down the hall, occasionally tapping on the wall as if he was looking for a secret way outside.

_A prisoner_, Bolynda said to herself silently, reading Fiyero's mind. _A prisoner like Razaf. Oh, why did he have to leave us alone like this? _she thought miserably.

She remembered the way he looked at her. The hurt in his entrancing emerald eyes was as clear as day. Bolynda felt as if she was the cause of it, though she didn't know quite why or how. _Was it because I love Fiyero, a guy he almost killed?_

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts as Fiyero rounded a corner, which came to another cul-de-sac.

"This is hopeless!" she told Fiyero after what seemed like the fifth time they came to a dead end.

"What do you suppose we do?" argued the dark-skinned man, whirling around to face the nineteen-year-old. "_Ask for directions?_"

Bolynda couldn't help but smirk at Fiyero's hot-headed reply. "You typical man," she said. "I'm just saying we should go back for Razaf. He knows his way around better than both of us combined."

"Are you fucking _crazy?_" Fiyero yelled at her, causing her to flinch. He noticed this and took a deep breath, forcing his voice to become level again. "That man could only spell disaster for us, Bolynda. I saw the way he looked at you. He looked…sick."

Bolynda didn't understand what her new lover was saying to her. The only looks she had received from Razaf were anything _but_ sick. "But Fiyero…" she started to say.

"I know what you're going to say, Bolynda," Fiyero interrupted her. "Go ahead. Say it. That doesn't change anything I feel for that…for that _monster._"

Bolynda frowned at Fiyero's stubbornness. _He's not willing to take a chance on Razaf and see that he's a really nice guy, _she thought. _It seems as if Fiyero's…_possessive_ of me._

She didn't know how right she was. Fiyero was silently guarding his thoughts, only letting the occasional slip by unnoticed and what they revealed only confused the blue girl more than she already was. All were about Razaf, her and this Fae.

_Who the hell is this Fae person?_ she thought angrily. _I thought we went over this already!_

"Let's continue," the former Emperor said, breaking her out of her increasingly angrier thoughts. "There's got to be an exit _somewhere_."

Fiyero was about to turn around to go back down the hallway when he felt another presence suddenly appear among them. _Oh shit, we're caught. _

At reading Fiyero's mind, Bolynda froze. She automatically feared the worst. She slowly turned around and her blue skin became a few shades lighter at the sight of the one person she _definitely_ didn't want to see again.

"Where do you think _you_ two are going, dearies?"


	47. Chapter 47

**Sorry for the long wait, guys! My computer's not being very nice to me. :P**

**Enjoy this new chapter. :)**

**P.S: Go and vote on the poll in my profile! :D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 47

Morrible had gotten rid of Boq as soon as the Munchkin had spotted his mother among the cells of Southstairs. The Press Secretary had known better than to let him wander around with her…he already knew too much for her liking.

The woman made her way through the decrepit corridors that was once her residence for three long years. The bewitched jewel on her bracelet was pulsating ever so slightly, leading her around the maze-like halls with ease.

As she rounded a corner, she could hear soft voices coming from her right. She paused, recognizing the voices instantly. Morrible had found who she was looking for.

From the sound of it, they seemed as if they were in the middle of a very heated argument. Fiyero's loud, raucous voice echoed through the corridor and into the ears of a hidden Morrible. The older woman listened intently as Bolynda's much quieter, but just as firm voice responded.

Morrible debated whether or not to have Bolynda read the text from the Grimmerie, but she ultimately decided against it, fearing that it would get destroyed if something should happen. Her prophetic powers were going unnaturally haywire, warning her of impending danger, but she shrugged it off.

_How much danger can I be in?_ she thought to herself very pompously. _I'm dealing with a brainless twit and a half-trained witch. How hard can it be?_

After a few minutes of broken conversation between the two lovers, Morrible decided it was time to stop her eavesdropping and reveal herself. They certainly looked surprised as they turned around to face her. The Press Secretary had her signature crooked smile plastered on her face as the younger couple gaped at her.

"Where do you think_ you_ two are going, dearies?" she asked them.

Fiyero's mouth opened and closed uselessly while Bolynda looked as if she would make a run for it. Morrible quickly swung her arms around, chanted a few syllables and formed a magical barrier that prevented the blue-skinned girl from bolting, as she was prone to do at times of stress.

"What makes you think I was going to let you go_ that _easily?" Morrible said, smiling as she watched Bolynda take a step forward and then the priceless look of horror on her face when she finally realized escape was impossible.

"Morrible, take down that barrier," Fiyero said.

The older woman turned to look at the former Emperor. "I can't believe you have the gall to even _suggest_ that, Fiyero dear. It seems you are in no position to tell me what to do."

"I am the _Emperor!_" Fiyero roared at her, taking a step forward in her direction.

"Not anymore," Morrible replied coldly, not at all intimidated by the dark-skinned man. "The people of Oz have accepted me as their new Empress of Oz."

Fiyero was clearly taken aback by this. He staggered backwards, crashing into Bolynda. The blue girl held his shoulders steadily as she glared at Morrible, her ice blue eyes narrowed venomously.

"You are not the only one who can perform magic, you know," she hissed. For once in her life Bolynda wished she had actually paid attention to the magic lessons her mother had given her back in her homeland of Zo.

"I know, and that intrigues me so," Morrible said, thinking of the page in the Grimmerie hidden in her dress pocket. She thought of threatening the blue girl to read it, but she once again turned the idea down. Something told her this was not the time to do it. "Go ahead, young lady. Show me what you Zoian witches can do."

Bolynda blinked, stunned at what the fish-like woman just said. _Did she say Zoian—_

A sudden pain gripped her upper body and she felt something coil around her body, squeezing tighter and tighter. She gasped as she let go of Fiyero, who regained his balance quickly. The man stared at Morrible, who had her hands spread out in front of her, her fingers twirling around as her magic constricted Bolynda to the point the girl cried out in pain.

"It seems your magic is too slow, dearie," Morrible sneered to Bolynda, thoroughly unimpressed that the blue witch didn't use any of her magic against her. _Maybe she's more inept than I thought, she_ thought, letting a frown crease her already wrinkled face.

"Fiy-yero, help m-me!" Bolynda gasped, falling to her knees before him. The former Emperor just stared at her, frozen with terror. Bolynda writhed against Morrible's ever-tighter restraints, but it seemed the woman was enjoying watching the blue girl being squeezed to death.

"I—I—" Fiyero didn't know what to do.

"_Fiyero!_" Bolynda cried desperately. She couldn't believe he wasn't doing anything to help her. Her arms were pinned close to her body, preventing her from using any of her magic against Morrible. She kicked her legs around, but that only succeeded in making her fall flat to the floor.

Fiyero then noticed the barrier had been taken down since Morrible was concentrating on making Bolynda suffer with her magical coils constricting the young girl. This could be his only chance of escape.

Bolynda felt hot tears make their way down her blue cheeks. "St-top!" she managed to choke out to Morrible, tired of begging Fiyero to save her. It seemed he either didn't care, or was too terrified to stop the Press Secretary.

"I don't think so, Bolynda," Morrible hummed, lazily twisting her fingers in the air and watching her captive thrash uselessly with every movement of her hand. "I'm finding this quite enjoyable actually."

Bolynda then forced herself to stop moving, finding it was making the situation worse. She paced her shallow breathing carefully, her lungs feeling as if they were being crushed inside her own body. _So this is how it ends, _she thought bitterly. _I'm going to be squeezed to death while the man I love watches._

She closed her eyes.

_The man I _used _to love. _

Fiyero suddenly made a mad dash past Morrible, who didn't blink twice as the former Emperor escaped from her clutches.

Bolynda watched hopelessly as he blindly ran away, feeling emotionally crushed as well as physically. She let out a loud sob. She had never felt more destroyed in her short nineteen years of life. Her love had rejected her, her magic was failing her and she couldn't do anything about it. Ever since she had come to Oz, Bolynda's life had been one fall after another.

For once, Bolynda wished she had listened to her mother and sisters. She wished they were there to help her, but she knew they were nowhere near her or Oz. She didn't even knowif they _knew_ she was gone!

"So it's just you and me, dearie," Morrible said, slowing the already slow pace she was using to tighten her Constriction Spell on the blue girl. "It seems your lover has abandoned you."

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" Bolynda spat at her, her lungs feeling as if they were going to give way any minute. She could feel blood start to pour from her nose at the sheer intensity Morrible's spell was imposing on her.

Morrible's eyes gleamed.

"Gladly."

***

Razaf stared at the ornate doors of the Palace Library, contemplating whether to grant Morrible's request or go back for Bolynda. The more he thought about the situation, the more doubts he was starting to have.

Before he had a chance to make a decision, he felt something crash unto his back and he was brought towards the ground. He let out a loud yell and pushed off whoever had barreled into him. To his dismay, it was Fiyero, the very man he least wanted to see at that moment.

"R-Razaf," the former Emperor stuttered, quickly getting up from the floor.

Razaf swiftly got to his feet and took a defensive stance. He then noticed a certain blue girl wasn't with the man.

"Where's Bolynda?" he asked the obviously stunned man, the fists he held close to his face lowering a bit.

Fiyero didn't answer. His deep, dark blue eyes just stared straight at the green uniform Razaf was wearing, which was his own.

Razaf was growing impatient. "I asked you _where is Bolynda?!_"

"Morrible has her," Fiyero spat at him suddenly. "I barely escaped with my life."

"You _idiot!_" Razaf roared at him, causing him to flinch. The muscular man's green eyes were blazing wildly. "For Oz's sake, why didn't you help her, you son of a bitch?!"

"I _couldn't_ help her!" Fiyero argued angrily. "I'm not magical!"

Razaf wanted to kill the man just for spite. _He's right on one thing, though, _he thought to himself. _He's not magical._

…_but_ I_ am. _

"I'm going to help Bolynda," Razaf said to him, clenching his fists.

"Don't!" Fiyero told him forcefully, grabbing his arm.

Razaf wrenched away from his firm grip, his teeth bared in an almost animal-like fashion. "Why do _you _care? She loves you, Fiyero, and what do you do? You leave her there for that monster to kill her! That's not going to happen as long as _I'm _alive to stop it!"

Fiyero just stood there, shaking in both anger and fear. He was afraid the man he feared so much was going to somehow kill him right there and then. Razaf's murderous look certainly proved to be reminiscent of the time the man had almost killed him in that public square all those years ago.

"You may not love her," Razaf continued, "but _I _do. I'm going to save her and you can't stop me."

Without another word, he left Fiyero to stand there alone, guilt making the former Emperor's eyes cloud with tears. For once in his life, Fiyero Tiggular was crying for reasons other than himself.

He was crying for everything and everyone he had let down. He cried for Bolynda, who had selflessly freed him from Southstairs and given her heart to him. He cried for Avaric, who had died needlessly. He cried for his lost Fae and the pangs of loneliness he felt when he thought about her. Most of all, he cried for himself, shamed at the coward he had become.

He wiped his tears against his green, dirty sleeve.

_I have to do something_, he thought to himself._ I can't stand around and do nothing. I've done enough of that already. It's time I do something for someone else for once. _

He swallowed heavily and turned towards the direction Razaf had just taken. A sinking feeling churned in his gut.

It was clear that the man he utmost hated was in love with Bolynda. He closed his eyes, thinking back on the brief encounter she and he shared in that small closet. He didn't feel anything special for the blue girl, for he already had reserved those feelings for someone else. But it was evident that Bolynda was totally smitten with him. Her confession earlier had made it clear to him.

_I have to help Razaf somehow_, he thought. _If it's not to save her from Morrible, then it's to help him with Bolynda. I have to help her see that I'm not the one for her. _He_ is._

Not wanting to waste any more precious time, the former Emperor took off running.

***

Frynda was astounded when Elphaba finished her story.

"Wow," the sixteen-year-old breathed. "So three years after you 'melted', you found Glinda?"

"It was more like _she _found _me_," Elphaba chuckled. "I was flying around on my broomstick one day when I flew a little too close to the Emerald City. I normally wouldn't have gone so close to regular people, being that I was thought to be dead, but my broom had different intentions."

"Did your broom have a brain or something?" Frynda giggled.

"It seemed like that, yes," Elphaba said, smirking. "Glinda had been making some public speech when she had spotted me. Luckily it was only her and not the rest of the Ozian population. I could remember the look on her face when she saw me. It was priceless."

"So what happened after that?" Frynda asked imploringly.

"She fainted."

"No she didn't!" Frynda said disbelievingly.

Elphaba nodded. "She did. The Ozians nearly had a heart-attack when they saw their idol fall like that. _I _nearly had a heart-attack, for that matter."

"So Glinda's famous in Oz?" Frynda asked her.

Elphaba raised a brow, wondering why Frynda seemed more curious about Glinda's past than hers. She shrugged it off and said, "You could say that. There she was known as Glinda the Good and everyone loved her. Including me."

"How long have you known you loved her?" the red-skinned girl asked her older sister, not aware that her questions were becoming more and more personal.

"Ever since we were roommates back at Shiz," Elphaba replied warily. "But back then we had loathed each other. It was a…complicated feeling. Frynda, why are you so interested in Glinda?"

Frynda blinked, clearly not expecting a question aimed at her. "U-uh, I-I'm just curious," she stammered, fixing a lock of auburn hair behind her red ear self-consciously.

"Uh…huh." Elphaba's arched brows rose in suspicion.

"Tell me what happened after she fainted, Elphaba," Frynda said quickly, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"I came down to see her that night after everyone left. There we confessed our love for each other and…" she broke off and gave Frynda a side-glance. "And got reacquainted."

Frynda's cheeks darkened in a brief flush. Just then the wagon jerked around them, causing them to tumble around. Elphaba's legs ended up awkwardly on Frynda's stomach as the wagon came to a halt. The dust settled around them as they hurriedly scrambled upright again.

"What was that?" Frynda asked her sister breathlessly, using her cloak to wipe the grime that had accumulated on her red face and arms.

"I think we have stopped," Elphaba said, her voice full of dread. Only Oz knows where the Wizard has taken them and Elphaba had a feeling it was nowhere pleasant.

***

The Wizard himself wasn't too happy. He spotted several red-uniformed guards posted at the entrance of the Red Palace, their rifles pointed at the ready.

_It's as if they knew I was coming,_ he thought angrily. He commanded Cayden to stop the line of caravans. The Leopard flicked the reins he was holding and the Horses that were pulling their wagon whinnied in protest, complaining of the unfair way they were being treated.

"Oh can it, will you?" the Wizard groaned to the Horses as he leapt off the passenger seat to the earth-worn ground under him. He fixed his belt as he walked towards the Red Storm soldiers, who shifted slightly as he approached.

They raised their rifles and pointed it at the advancing man and the two Wolves that followed him.

"We come in peace," the Wizard called to them, his hands raised in a gesture of peace. "I only want to talk to the Great Witch."

"We know who you are, Wizard," spat one of the soldiers. "If you think you can get past us this easily, you better think again."

The Wizard shook his head. "I only want to have a word with her Highness," he said. "I have no intention of being hostile."

Another soldier snorted.

One of the Wolves next to the Wizard let out a low growl. It was Turak. His gray fur was bristling wildly.

"I think we should attack them now, master," he growled to the Wizard.

Sorin, who had heard his partner, gave a warning snarl, his ears flattened against his head. He wanted to cuff Turak for being so stupid, as usual. He opened his muzzle to say something but the Wizard beat him to it.

"No, Turak," the Wizard stage-whispered to Turak, all the while staring at the soldiers in front of him. "The less blood shed, the better my advantage."

Turak just cocked his head to the side, not understanding why they shouldn't attack the people standing in their way. He then focused on one of the soldiers and licked his lips, imagining the sweet taste of human flesh in his salivating jaws.

"Tell her I want to make a deal," the Wizard said to the soldier who had first spoken. He appeared to be the leader of the group.

"The Great Witch doesn't make deals with the likes of you," the lead guard responded icily. "You are her most wanted enemy."

"Oh am I now?" the Wizard said, surprised. "I'm flattered."

"That means you are not welcome here," the lead guard spat at him.

"I come under peaceful terms and this is all I get?" the Wizard asked him incredulously. "I think I deserve a chance—"

"Don't you think all the Animals you kill deserve a chance too?" snarled the other soldier, raising his rifle to point it at the Wizard's head.

"Oh, stop it," the Wizard groaned. "You sound like my daughter. Do you people honestly think those creatures are actually beneficial in society? Where I'm from, we kill them for food and for…entertainment."

"What's so entertaining about watching an Animal die?" the lead guard hissed at him. "No wonder they call you the Evil Wizard. You're just…evil."

"Then you wouldn't believe that people had called me 'wonderful' only a few years ago. The world changes fast, my son. Now let me pass and my cohorts will leave you alone. If not…I have a Tiger that's all too willing to have a snack right about now."

The lead guard let out a gulp, but he kept his rifle pointed to the Wizard's black-clothed chest. "We will not let you enter the Palace."

The Wizard smirked and shrugged. "Well, you asked for it—"

Suddenly there was a large crash, startling the soldier that had his rifle pointed to the Wizard's chest. It went off with a bang and the older man crumpled to the ground, blood starting to pour from a wound on his chest. The bullet barely missed his heart.

Just barely.

***

Adagio's hooves came to the ground, the sound of the crash echoing around him. He had kicked the door to the wagon open, his rage fueling his desperate escape attempt. Glinda was still inside the wagon, her unconscious form draped across a rather large pile of hay.

The Horse had to get help and the only way to do it was to get to Elphaba. She would know what to do.

_She has to be in one of these wagons,_ he thought as he jumped off the wagon and unto the ground under him. As soon as his hooves touched the ground, the scene erupted in chaos. Carnivorous Animals of every type ran around, snarling and roaring at the winged Horse.

Adagio let out a neigh and spread his massive, black-feathered wings, managing to make it into the air before the sharp teeth of a Cheetah could embed themselves into his hind leg.

"A winged Horse!" he heard someone gasp and he looked down, seeing red uniformed men surrounding the form of a bleeding Wizard on the ground. Adagio swooped around them, the Animals following in his shadow, jumping to try to get at the flying Horse.

_This is not going to be easy,_ Adagio thought and flew even higher, the men on the ground becoming just mere ants to him. He looked at the long line of caravans in his bird's-eye view, trying to pinpoint which one Elphaba might be located in.

_They all look the same!_ the Horse thought dismally. He then decided he would try the one before the wagon Glinda was still occupying. Folding his wings close to his sides, he dived towards the caravan, spreading his wings just before he hit the wooden roof.

***

Frynda let out a piercing scream as the roof to their wagon suddenly caved in, the pieces of wood ricocheting everywhere. She felt splinters pierce her skin and the heavy weight of a plank falling across her thighs, pinning her to the ground.

Elphaba was thrown back just before a hoof landed at the place where she just sat moments before. Her head connected with the wagon's opposite wall, momentarily dazing her. When her vision cleared once again, she saw the one Horse she thought she would never see again.

"Adagio!" she cried and shakily stood, facing the black Stallion.

"Elphie!" the winged Horse greeted back with a nicker. He fixed his wings against his sides as he continued, "We need to get to Glinda!"

Elphaba frowned. "Why? What's wrong with her?"

Adagio just pranced nervously on his hooves.

Frynda let out a groan as she shoved the plank off her thighs, her muscles screaming with the effort. She had heard the Horse say something about Glinda, but she wasn't sure what it was. Her legs felt like they were on fire and she feared the worst.

Elphaba hurriedly clambered on Adagio's back. She was about to tell the Horse to leave when she remembered that Frynda was still in there with them. She looked around for the red girl. She spotted her in the far corner, shakily getting up and collapsing over the pieces of littered wood.

Elphaba wanted to get to Glinda as fast as she could, but she knew she couldn't leave Frynda behind. Not again.

The green woman jumped off Adagio's back and went to Frynda's side. The Horse let out a surprised nicker at seeing the red girl again, but he didn't say anything.

"Here, let me help you," Elphaba told Frynda, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, supporting the sixteen-year-old's weight.

"N-no, Elphaba," Frynda protested, trying to shoo away her green hands. "I'm f-fine."

"No, you're not." Elphaba half-carried, half-dragged Frynda towards Adagio. The red girl cried out as Elphaba lifted her unto the black Horse's back, the girl surprisingly lightweight and easy to carry.

"It's my l-legs," Frynda huffed in obvious pain. "They h-hurt. A lot. It m-must have been that piece of wood that f-fell on me when A-Adagio came in."

Elphaba gritted her teeth. This was _not_ what they needed right now. She quickly maneuvered herself to sit behind Frynda as Adagio jumped and flapped his wings vigorously, his black feathers scraping the side of the wagon.

The green woman held her younger sister steady as the Horse managed to fly out of the destroyed wagon and into the air above them.

Elphaba looked down at the scene under them. Animals and red uniformed soldiers were everywhere. She wanted to scream in frustration when she saw that they were once again at the Red Palace, the very place she was supposed to be running away from.

_It seems this day can't get any worse_, she said to herself and her mind refocused on getting to Glinda. To her dismay, she saw the Wizard's line of caravans start to move. _Actually, it _can_ get worse! _she thought and pulled on Adagio's mane, causing the Horse to let out an annoyed nicker.

"What?!"

"It's the Wizard! Oh my Oz, he's taking Glinda! Adagio, we have to go rescue her!"

The black Stallion neighed in alarm at her words and turned his massive wings so they were now following the line of caravans unto the Blue Brick Road, its cool shade of blue angrily contrasting against the green grass that surrounded it.

It seemed the Wizard has changed his plans….and he was taking Glinda with him.


	48. Chapter 48

**Happy Tuesday, everyone! :D**

**Here's a ridiculously short chapter for all of you. :)**

**Again, a very big thank you to all of you who review loyally (I think I'm going to have to create an avatar for all of you if you keep it up! :D)**

**Please don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile to see how much you like this story! I'm already thinking of starting a sequel and I need your input to know if it'll be worth it. :D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 48

The Wizard crawled through the mass of Animals that had answered to his call of help, glad for the reprieve from the Red Storm soldiers who had gathered around him. He clutched at his bleeding wound, silently cursing himself for leaving himself so vulnerable. He searched through the noisy bedlam and spotted one of his right-hand Wolves. It was Sorin.

The man called the brown Wolf over. Sorin's sharp ears perked forwards, already in tuned to the sound of his beloved master's voice. He left the obviously confused Red Storm soldier he was trying to bite at and hurriedly went to the Wizard's side.

"Yes, master?" Sorin asked him, confused as to why he was on the ground before noticing the blood that was rapidly pooling around the man.

"G-Get Torif or…or Cayden…" the Wizard wheezed, gritting his teeth in pain.

Sorin looked around the pandemonium, his yellow eyes quickly scanning the crowd for the Tiger or Leopard. He spotted Torif in the thickest part of the battle, but he figured he wouldn't bring the Tiger to his master in his current state just in case the Tiger couldn't restrain himself from the scent of blood.

"Sorin!" the Wizard hissed, annoyed that Sorin was just standing there.

"I'm going to get Cayden, sir!" the Wolf yelped, figuring the Leopard would be civilized enough to help the bleeding Wizard. He hurriedly ran to where he saw Cayden trying to fend off several red-uniformed men, all the while trying to dodge the incessant bullets from their rifles.

"Cayden!" Sorin barked at him. The Leopard didn't seem to have heard him. The Big Cat let out a massive yowl and scratched the face of one of the men, causing him to scream in agony and drop his weapon.

"_Cayden!_" Sorin called again, this time his voice coming out more as a howl than a bark.

"_What?!_" screeched Cayden finally, turning his head towards the brown Wolf, irritation flashing in his green, narrow eyes.

"We have to retreat! The Wizard has been shot!"

At the news his beloved master was wounded, Cayden gave the battered solider a final push to the ground and leapt to where Sorin stood.

"Where is he?" the Cat snarled, his lips curling back to expose his sharp fangs.

"Follow me!" Sorin told him and he led Cayden to where the Wizard still lay, the fight still going on around him.

"Finally," the Wizard breathed as he saw the massive Leopard loom above him. He felt his life slowly ebb away as his own blood seeped to the ground below him.

Cayden hurriedly bent down to pick up the smaller man's body, feeling the red blood starting to soak into his golden, spotted fur. It was difficult to control his animal instincts to bite the helpless human in his paws, but Cayden was known for his control. He had been one of the Wizard's first supporters.

Quickly he and Sorin made their way towards the lead caravan, the Leopard gingerly placing the Wizard into the passenger seat next to his own.

The Wizard let out a gargled moan as Cayden tried to settle him as best as he could, trying hard not to breathe in the intoxicating scent of the blood that still poured around them.

"W-we h-have to l-leave," the Wizard panted.

Sorin watched his master with concern. "But your daughter and the red girl—"

"No…" the Wizard breathed. "Th-they have escaped f-for n-now. I need t-to see a d-doctor…"

Suddenly the man's eyes rolled to the back of his head, falling unconscious.

"_Sir!_" Sorin cried as the Wizard slumped forwards in his seat. The brown Wolf's claws dug into the cushions of the seat in frustration. He turned his head to look at Cayden, who had already positioned himself in the driver's seat, taking the reins in his massive paws. The Leopard wasted no time in getting the Horses that were pulling the caravans to cooperate, threatening them with every curse word he knew.

Soon they were on their way out of the fray, leaving their fellow Animals behind to deal with the rest of the Red Storm Guard.

***

By the time Zafryna noticed the Wizard had come the man had already been shot and was now leaving. The yellow-skinned woman hurriedly went upstairs to the balcony, where she could see the bloody chaos in front of the Palace Grounds.

She let out a ragged curse under breath and was about to perform some type of magic in order to restore order when something caught the corner of her eye. It was a flying Horse.

_Wait…a _flying_ Horse?! _She had to take another look just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She then immediately recognized the people on the strange winged Horse by their odd skin color. They were her own sisters, Elphaba and Frynda.

Zafryna panicked, realizing that they were going after the Wizard's retreating line of caravans. She yelled after them, waving her arms frantically.

"Elphaba! Frynda!" she screamed frenetically. "Come back!"

***

"Elphaba…"

Elphaba gripped the black hair from Adagio's mane tighter in her green hands, trying to ignore Frynda's incessant whispers behind her.

"Elphaba…"

"What _the hell_ do you want?!" Elphaba finally snapped at her, forcing herself to look behind at her red-skinned sister. "Don't you see I'm in the middle of trying to save Glinda from the Wizard?!"

"Elphaba, we have to slow down," Frynda told her shakily. "We will never be able to catch up with them. They are too far ahead."

The green woman stared at the younger woman strangely, noticing the way Frynda looked for the first time. She looked tired and defeated, as if the sixteen-year-old had just taken on the whole Gale Force Army and barely escaped with her life.

"We can't," Elphaba growled and turned back, hearing Frynda sigh heavily. "I have to save Glinda. She's in one of those caravans."

"Elphie, Frynda's right. I won't be able to make it," Adagio suddenly cut in. "My wings feel like they're on fire—"

"_No!_" Elphaba suddenly yelled at him. "You have to keep going, Adagio!"

"Elphaba, I can't—"

"Fuck you, Adagio! Let me down so I could go myself!"

Adagio let out a low whimper, very hurt by Elphaba's cruel words.

The green woman was at the point of barely making any sense, so Frynda felt she had to step in.

"Elphaba, don't push him," the red-skinned girl said as gently as she could muster. "He's trying his hardest. He's only been flying for a day. You can't honestly expect him to—"

"_Glinda's_ out there, Frynda!" Elphaba screamed at her, making the younger girl flinch. "She's with…with that asshole! I have to save her or else I couldn't live with myself anymore! He's going to rape her and—"

"Elphaba, just_ listen_ to me, will you?!" the red-skinned girl shot back. "Adagio's wings can't take any more strain than they already have! He has to rest!"

"I'm not going to listen to this bullshit anymore," seethed Elphaba. "Let me down, Adagio!"

"I'm not going to let you down, Elphaba," the Horse argued, his voice clearly strained with exhaustion. "Not while you're like this. You'll get yourself killed!"

"_Glinda _will be killed if I don't get down there!" the green witch hissed at him. "Fine, then! I'll jump and save her myself!"

"No!" Frynda and Adagio's voice blended together as Elphaba swung her legs over Adagio's back, preparing herself to leap off the Horse and down to the distant ground below them. Frynda hurriedly wrapped her arms around Elphaba's stomach, holding unto her older sister for dear life.

"_Let me go!_" Elphaba snarled at her, writhing against her grip. Adagio made a slow turn around and descended just a little bit, glad that Frynda had gotten a hold of Elphaba before she could fall to her certain death.

"I'm not going to let you go," Frynda hissed into Elphaba's ear as the woman struggled. "You are being very irrational right now."

"You're calling _me_ irrational?!" Elphaba asked her furiously. "Look at you! It's as if you don't even _care _that Glinda's in danger!"

"That's not true!" argued Frynda passionately. "I _do _care!"

"Oh really?! I love her, Frynda!"

"_So do I!_"

Frynda immediately wanted to take back her words and stuff them back in her mouth. Elphaba suddenly stopped struggling against her grip, going limp in shock. Had her sister actually said what she_ thought_ she said…?

"W-what did you say?" Elphaba's voice sounded raspy and small, her voice considerably softer than her earlier yelling.

Frynda wanted to jump to the ground and kill herself right there and then. She struggled to find a response to Elphaba's question, feeling her heart race in fear to what the green woman might say or do to her if she found out she had a crush on her girlfriend.

"N-nothing," the red-skinned girl finally replied shakily after what seemed like an eternity of silent tension.

Elphaba was shaking now, her hands closing tightly into fists. She felt her gut wrench as she asked her catatonic sister, her voice tight,

"Frynda, do…do you have feelings for my girlfriend?"

***

"Any last words?"

Bolynda stared at Morrible, her blue eyes like chips of ice. She had never dreamed she would die like this. Certainly, she had dreamed from time to time that she would die young, but like _this_…never. When Morrible asked her if she had any last words, she had quite a few in mind. But at this moment, she could only think of two.

"Fuck you."

Morrible's face broke into a smile. "Unfortunately for you, my dear, I just don't have the time."

As her trained mind whirled with the numerous spells she knew that could cause immediate death, she didn't see the shadow creeping up on her from behind, emerald green eyes glowing fiercely.

***

Melena barely managed to get in an hour of sleep before Jaslyn sauntered into her room again. The pale woman let out a groan and turned her head away, not wanting to be annoyed by the younger girl again.

"Up and at 'em, Jaslyn!" the red-haired girl said cheerily. "Did you sleep well?"

"What do you _think?_" Melena croaked.

"That's wonderful!" Jaslyn exclaimed, obviously not hearing Melena. "That wound of yours is lookin' mighty better than it was an hour ago. How are ya feelin'?"

"You want the truth?" Melena asked her. "I'm feeling very irritated and annoyed with you right now. Could you please leave me alone?"

"Oh, you're a funny gal, aren't ya?" chuckled Jaslyn. "I can't leave ya alone, silly. Not while you're in this condition."

"I'm forty years old," hissed the pale woman. "I think I'm pretty capable of taking care of myself."

"That's what _you _think," stressed Jaslyn. "How did ya get in this condition the first place, huh?"

"Again, do you want the truth?" Melena asked her. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Jaslyn crossed her arms in front of her small chest. "Try me."

Melena smirked. "I killed someone."

Jaslyn's smile wavered. "H-huh…?"

Suddenly there was a great pounding on the door. Jaslyn, still confused by the woman's revelation, turned to go answer it. It was Dev, her brother. The dark-haired Munchkinlander looked upset.

"See? What did I tell you?!" he suddenly roared at his sister, causing the Munchkin girl to jump in sheer surprise.

"What?" Jaslyn argued hotly. "What are you talkin' about, Dev?"

"There are some them damn Munchkinland officers outside wantin' to see your stupid guest," Dev hissed. "They are askin' to see if I had any association in a murder!"

"What?" Jaslyn shrieked. "A murder?"

Dev appeared as if he was about to lose it. "She apparently had killed somebody, Jas! You are takin' care of a _criminal!_"

Jaslyn couldn't believe what she was hearing. Never in her short fifteen years of life has she ever heard of such a thing. All she wanted to be was a good person…

Her blood turned ice cold. This person she had supposedly been caring for had just revealed to her that she had killed someone a few seconds before Dev had banged on her door. Could this 'Jaslyn' be the same person the Munchkinland officials were looking for…?

Jaslyn turned around, but she was gone.

Melena had escaped.

***

Melena scrambled away from the small Munchkin-made house, her hand clutching the reins of Hazel, the brown horse she had used to get there in the first place. She had used a simple Invisibility Spell to escape from under Jaslyn and Dev's noses, but the Munchkinland officers waiting outside had scared her beyond belief. She knew they must have found out that she had killed the Minister.

She was a wanted woman now. There was no turning back for her in Oz. She hurriedly climbed on the horse's back, grabbing the reins in both her clammy hands. Her wound ached more than ever, but she knew she had to keep going.

That was it for her alias, Jaslyn Thrair. She has to be one person now…the one person she was supposed to be all along. She was now Melena Thropp, Second Descending from Nest Hardings.

And Melena Thropp was either going to find Bolynda or die trying.

* * *

**Okay, now go to my profile and vote! You know you want to. :D**


	49. Chapter 49

**Hola, amigos!**

**It's once again time to update. :D**

**Thanks for all the reviews, as per usual. And _no_, this story isn't gonna end anytime soon. :P**

**And do you notice my new avatar up there? I drew it, colored it and Photoshop'ed it myself. :)**

**Without futher ado, enjoy the new chapter! :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 49

Razaf threw himself against Morrible before the woman could do anything to Bolynda. Both of them fell to the ground in a heap. Morrible let out a great bellow of rage and pushed him off of her back.

Bolynda watched this with a mixture of both awe and relief. "Razaf!" she cried. "What are you doing here?"

Despite his current situation, Razaf looked at her and gave her a brief smile. "Saving you."

"Argh! I knew it all along, you bastard!" Morrible roared and got up from the ground, Razaf quickly following suit. Bolynda felt the constrictions that were binding her loosen and soon she was able to maneuver enough to back away, staring wide-eyed at the confrontation that was quickly developing before her.

"I'm not going to let you kill her," Razaf growled to Morrible, taking a defensive stance as they circled each other like two gladiators preparing for battle.

"Well _that_ is evident," Morrible spat at him. "Why the sudden change of heart, Razaf? I thought you wanted to work with me. I thought you wanted power."

"I _did_ want power," Razaf agreed. "And I still do. But then I realized there are more important things in life than just power and greed." He glanced at Bolynda, who stared right back at him, a certain look in her blue gaze. Was he imagining things or was that _admiration_ in her eyes?

"Oh, how so gallant of you, Sir Razaf," sneered Morrible mockingly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "If this would have been a different situation I might have named you one of my trusted right-hand men. Sadly, however, this is not the case. It's a shame I have to kill you."

Razaf gave her a challenging look as he replied, "I would like to see you try."

"Razaf, no!" Bolynda cried suddenly, still not knowing why she felt so strongly for the safety of the strongly-built man. "She really _can_ kill you!"

"Shut up, girl!" Morrible snapped at her. "This does not concern you anymore. Let Razaf take it like a man."

Bolynda could only stare hopelessly at Razaf, who had turned his attention back to Morrible. It was as if the intimidation Morrible was exerting ricocheted of him as if he was wearing some bullet-proof vest. His green eyes were alight with a certain masculine bravado Bolynda only wanted to slap him for.

_He's going to get himself killed!_ Bolynda screamed at herself. _I have to help him somehow! Damn this stupid spell!_ She struggled against the restraints, but it seemed despite Morrible's distracted attention, she was still able to keep a hold on her Constricting Spell just enough so Bolynda couldn't escape as Fiyero had just a few minutes earlier.

"Razaf, don't be a hero!" the blue girl cried, ignoring Morrible's low animal-like growl behind her.

Razaf turned his head towards her, a small smile appearing on his thin lips. "I have no choice, Bo. If I'm not the hero, then who _will_ be? And don't tell me Fiyero. He's already out of the game."

Bolynda's throat suddenly went dry. What did Razaf mean by Fiyero being out of the game…?

Razaf muscles tensed as he saw Morrible preparing to cast some spell on him, her lipstick-covered lips moving rapidly. The former prisoner didn't know much about magic, but what he did know was that the only way to avoid being used as target practice was to move quickly. So he did.

He dodged to the right as soon as Morrible finished her spell. The woman let out an angry shriek as she realized her usually accurate spell casting had missed their intended target, instead turning the wall above Razaf a foul shade of brown, the Heat Spell melting the bricks into mere cement puddles that dripped into the others below it.

Bolynda watched as Razaf dodged spell after spell, wondering when he was going to use the powers he said he possessed.

Razaf himself was wondering the same thing. His powers came and went randomly, so he never knew when they would appear. When they did however, it was when he was angry or under stress…and this happened to be a _very_ stressful situation. He felt his energy start to drain after the fifth dodge or so, the Freezing Spell barely missing his right shoulder.

_C'mon, powers,_ he thought to himself quickly, _I could use a little help from you now._

"Stop dancing around and fight, you coward!" Morrible hissed at him. "Boq showed more promise in helping me than you!"

"I never wanted to help you!" Razaf spat.

"Oh really?" snarled Morrible as another one of her Freezing Spells once again missed Razaf. "It was only earlier that I saw how you looked so longingly at Fiyero's uniform. You want to be Emperor, don't you, Razaf? Don't lie to me."

"Who _wouldn't_ want to be Emperor?" Razaf asked breathlessly. "Of course I want to be Emperor. It is only my right!"

"I have a feeling there's more to this than you lead on, Razaf," Morrible said, her voice as silky as a Snake's. "I might spare you for a little while longer for you tell me what makes you think it is only your _right_ to be Emperor."

Razaf put his hands on his knees; trying to regain his breath from the shower of spells Morrible had thrown at him in her attempts to kill him. He looked up at the older woman, his emerald green gaze staring directly into her gray ones. He slowly straightened, feeling his sides hurt as if someone had used him as a punching bag.

"You really want to know?" Razaf asked Morrible firmly, his fists clenching at his sides. From the corner of his eye he saw Bolynda shift ever so slightly. "I'm the Wizard's son."

Morrible stumbled back in her overwhelming shock, her wrinkled hand clutching at her rapidly beating heart. "_What?!_"

Razaf smirked satisfyingly. He knew this would catch her by surprise. Manipulating the Wizard had been Morrible's greatest achievement…and now that she couldn't even budge his son was too unreal to believe.

Bolynda didn't know why this was such a revelation for Razaf, but she knew he had to stop being so brave for her. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve _him_.

"Razaf, don't," Bolynda pleaded with him softly. "I'm not worth it."

"Yes, you are," Razaf answered her quickly. He then turned to look at her, his once hard green eyes soft with his affection for her. "Bolynda, if…if I somehow don't make it out of here alive, just know that despite what you think of me…I…I _do_ care for you."

Bolynda blinked in surprise. "Razaf…"

"Bo, listen to me, please," Razaf begged her. "I have never felt anything like this for anyone else in my life. It's been a long three years since I felt this good. _You_…you are the one that makes me feel this good, Bolynda. You make me feel as if I could make a difference in Oz again."

The blue girl didn't quite know what to say to Razaf at that point. To tell you the truth, she _didn't_ have anything to say. It was already written in the way her mouth curved up in a smile and in the way a solitary tear rolled down her cheek for she knew this was what she had felt all along too. She had been foolish to even think Fiyero would ever care for her the way she had cared for him. Their love affair had been doomed from the start and she had been too blind to realize it. Fiyero apparently still cared for his Fae…seeing that he had been too preoccupied with thoughts of his ex to even reply to Bolynda's confession of love for him.

It had been Razaf all along. With a fleeting flutter of her heart Bolynda realized Fiyero hadn't been the one she had fallen for. It was the wonderful man standing right before her. The very same one who was now risking his life to save her because he loved her. He made her feel as if she was worth something and not just a toy for everyone to use. Most of all…

He actually _loved_ her.

"Well…?" Razaf said mellifluously, afraid that his confession had stirred Bolynda in ways that he couldn't bear.

"Razaf, I…" Bolynda bit her lip as the constrictions around her grew tighter as Morrible came closer to her distracted adversary. He stared at the blue girl, his emerald green eyes swimming with emotions too complicated to even begin to voice. "I…I lo—Razaf, watch out!"

Bolynda could only scream as she saw her new love crumple to the ground, unconscious.

And Morrible could only cackle. _There goes the Wizard's son,_ she thought maliciously, _now if only his daughter would follow just as easily…_

She shook her head. Elphaba was another issue she had to focus on at a much later time. Now she had to deal with Bolynda, whose skin had gone a sickly shade of blue.

Razaf had fallen right before her eyes….

…and she didn't even get to tell him she loved him back.

***

"Elphaba, I'm sorry…"

Elphaba just stared at her obviously ashamed younger sister, her brown eyes as wide as saucers. "Oh, Frynda…Frynda, _why?_ Don't you see that I'm her girlfriend?"

Adagio listened to the conversation, his heart aching. He should have known Frynda had a crush on Glinda…he had seen the way the red girl had secretly looked at the blonde when they had been travelling together.

"I am very aware of the fact that you are her girlfriend, Elphaba," Frynda responded, trying to keep her voice even, despite the hurricane of emotions that she felt inside. "And I swear I have no intention to take her away from you."

"Oh, I'm sure you don't," growled Elphaba sarcastically. "You only want me to die for you to take her for yourself."

"_Elphaba!_" Frynda cried in exasperation. "You're my _sister!_ I don't want you to die! Saving you from killing yourself a little earlier sort of proved that. And I don't want Glinda to die either! I shouldn't have said anything in the first place…"

"But you _did_," Elphaba told her firmly. "And this changes _everything_. Adagio, we need to land right now."

Adagio flicked his ears and let out a light nicker, the black Horse allowing himself and his passengers to slowly descend towards the Blue Brick Road under them.

"Alright," the Horse said, "but I don't want to be in the middle of any fights, okay?"

"Oh, don't worry, Gio," Elphaba said, her false sincerity apparently escaping the Horse. "We're going to just take a short break and talk like civilized people."

Her prickly tone made Frynda's neck hair stand on end. She wasn't sure of Elphaba was lying or not, but it seemed eerily evident that Elphaba planned to do something to her…and it was nothing pleasant. She recalled the story the green woman had told her back when they had been in the Evil Wizard's prisoner caravan. The people in Oz had called Elphaba the 'Wicked Witch of the West' for a reason…and Frynda wondered if there was more to her older sister than she was led to believe…

Adagio finally arrived onto the Blue Brick Road, his hooves landing somewhat clumsily onto the road's sapphire blue bricks. Elphaba felt a little homesick as she remembered the Yellow Brick Road back in Oz, but she shook it off, knowing she had to take care of Frynda first.

She dismounted Adagio, who carefully folded his black wings back against his sides. Frynda stayed on the Horse, afraid what Elphaba would do to her when she got off. The green woman looked at her younger sister trembling on top of Adagio's back and she gave her a small smile.

"You can come down now, Frynda," Elphaba said.

"I don't want to," the red-skinned girl said childishly, her small voice shaking. She then looked at her green sister, fresh tears swimming in her amber eyes. "Are you going to turn me into a frog?"

"Now what makes you think I would do that?" Elphaba asked her, putting her hands on her hips. "I just want to talk to you, not turn you into an amphibian."

"Frynda, listen to her," Adagio said to the girl on his back. He pranced on his hooves, eager to get to that appetizing-looking patch of grass near the edge of the Blue Brick Road.

Frynda gulped and reluctantly slid off the black Stallion's back, staring at Elphaba as he galloped off out of earshot.

"Well, well, well…" Elphaba hummed, taking a step towards the younger girl. Frynda's eyes opened wider as the green woman drew closer to her. "It seems as if_ someone_ has a little crush on my Glinda."

"I-It's not my fault," Frynda stammered, backing away. "I can't help what I feel!"

"I know you can't," Elphaba said, her voice scarily calm for the current situation. "But what I don't understand is why you would even _consider_ her—"

"I already told you I can't control my feelings, Elphaba!" Frynda practically yelled at her now. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to admonish Elphaba, the green woman's brown eyes widening at Frynda's sudden and forceful rebuke.

"Do you think I _want _to be attracted to your girlfriend?" the sixteen-year-old continued. "Can't you understand I was just trying to keep this all inside because you're my sister? And…and because even if you _are_ a suicidal maniac, Elphaba, I will still love you—"

Elphaba almost choked on oxygen when she heard the words 'love you' come out of her red-skinned sister's mouth. The green woman didn't know quite what to say in response to that. Her voice seemed to have escaped her.

Frynda took a deep breath as she continued,

"—and I…I don't ever want to hurt you, Elphaba." The younger girl blinked her amber-colored eyes, trying to hide the continuous flow of tears streaming down her face, but to no avail.

Elphaba's eyes fluttered a bit, her mouth opening as wide as her eyes. If she had ever felt like dirt, this was it.

"And for your information," Frynda suddenly said, pointing her index finger in front of Elphaba's face, making the green woman cross-eyed. "Glinda loves _you_—not _me_. That little pretty blonde of yours made that clear a long time ago and I hope you don't forget that she will do anything for you."

Without another word, the red girl spun on her heel in a very Elphaba-like fashion and stalked off in the opposite direction. Elphaba stared wide-eyed at her sister's disappearing form, not believing what had just come out of the younger girl's mouth.

_She had actually stood up to me,_ Elphaba thought to herself, thoroughly awed by her sister's gall. _No one has ever done that to me before…except Glinda, of course. Frynda told me off…and she might as well have made me change my mind about her and Glinda._

Adagio appeared next to her, fixing his wings with a light rustling sound of the feathers. "Hm…I see no bruises or anything," he said to the stoic green-skinned woman next to him, "so I could only assume everything turned out all right, huh?"

"Not…exactly," Elphaba muttered. "She stormed off before I had a chance to say anything."

"Sound familiar?" Adagio chuckled. He then noticed Frynda's faint outline along the Blue Brick Road. "Where is she going?" he asked Elphaba.

"I'm not sure," she said. She then turned her head towards the black Horse, her brown eyes considerably softening. "Go with her, Adagio. Make sure she doesn't get in trouble."

"What about Glinda?" Adagio asked her, the worry evident in his voice.

"I'm going to go back to the Red Palace to see if Zafryna could help me," Elphaba told him. "_Something_ had to happen to the Wizard in order for the battle to end so quickly. He must have been shot or something…or that's at least what I _hope _happened."

"I couldn't tell," Adagio admitted. "Everything was flying by so fast that I barely even knew what was going on half the time. Not to mention I was busy rescuing you…"

"I understand, Adagio," Elphaba said, patting his snout. "I'm sorry I said that awful thing to you earlier. After all you've done for me…I feel so guilty—"

"That's okay, Elphie," Adagio nibbled her ear affectionately, causing the green woman to chuckle. "After all…you _are_ a suicidal maniac."

"So you _were_ listening?" Elphaba asked him incredulously, pushing his snout away from her face.

Adagio would have shrugged if he could. "I couldn't help it."

Elphaba smacked his flank teasingly and laughed. "You little…oh, well. I guess you really _couldn't _help yourself. Go to Frynda, you." She shooed him away, causing the Horse to chuckle softly to himself.

"Yes, ma'am!" Adagio nickered. He quickly spread his wings and took off into the sky, soaring into the direction where he had last seen the red-skinned girl.

Elphaba sighed heavily and looked down at her boots, mentally chastising herself for judging Frynda so quickly once again. What was it with her and jumping to conclusions? She then realized what her younger sister was attempting to do.

_Oh no!_ she thought in despair, looking up to where she could see Adagio's black form quickly retreating into the horizon. _Frynda's going to try and save Glinda by herself!_

She remembered that the younger red-skinned girl had complained of her legs and the way she had looked tired and defeated. Elphaba wanted to kick herself for letting Frynda wander off on her own. _This must be how Glinda feels when I leave her behind_, Elphaba thought miserably, feeling for her blonde lover.

The green woman, making a quick decision, took off in a sprint towards the direction of the Red Palace, praying to all the gods she knew that Zafryna would be in a good enough mood to help her, even after everyone had left her in the Palace alone.

And judging by those odds, it wasn't very likely.

***

Sorin let out a bark when he saw something up ahead. He told Cayden to stop the caravans, and the Leopard did so with a sigh. The Wolf then hopped off the passenger seat and unto the blue-bricked road. He ran around to the other side of the wagon, where he could see the Wizard's unconscious form strewn across the seat. He let out a whimper, realizing his master was worse than he thought.

"Hurry it up, will you?" Cayden called from his place in the driver's seat, his long, spotted tail lashing impatiently.

Sorin gave him a glare and bounded away to the rather small building he had spotted, his tail low to the ground. He padded up to the door, using a clawed paw to scratch the door. For a few agonizing minutes there was no answer, but just then a tired-looking Gorilla answered the door.

The Gorilla looked like a full-fledged doctor, complete with a white lab coat and spectacles. Her eyes widened at the brown-furred Wolf at her door. She attempted to close the door but Sorin used his paw to jam the door, preventing her from closing it.

"Come with me and no one gets hurt," Sorin growled to her.

"This is a friendly Hospital," the Gorilla argued. "We don't accept the likes of you here."

"Is that any way to treat a fellow Animal?" snarled Sorin cruelly.

"I'm sorry, but you are not an Animal I can trust at the moment." The Gorilla bared her teeth threateningly. "Now if you will excuse me, I have other patients to attend to—"

"You are not going anywhere!" Sorin barked suddenly, startling the doctor. "There is a man dying in that caravan and if you don't get your ass over there I will have this Hospital burned down when you least expect it!"

Sorin sounded convincing enough to move the Gorilla considerably, but she held firm. Her gold-plated nametag read Dr. Yanz. If one were to look at her young age they would suspect she was only a newcomer into the medicinal field, but Dr. Yanz had enough experience to rival those that had been seeing patients for years.

She was the best Animal doctor the land of Zo had to offer, though many of her colleagues had degraded her because of her young age. She had been determined to prove them wrong from the start, so she had opened her own clinic—the very clinic Sorin and the rest of the Wizard's caravans had arrived to.

"Is this an emergency?" Dr. Yanz asked Sorin, sensing that something indeed was amiss. She knew the Wolf was in cohorts with the Evil Wizard, one of the Animals' greatest enemies. She could just smell the wickedness that radiated off the Wolf's brown-furred pelt.

"Very much so, doctor," Sorin growled. "I suggest that you clear one of your rooms quickly. This is a rather high profile patient coming through."

The Gorilla didn't have time to respond before she smelled the distinct smell of smoke. Her eyes opened wide and she stared at Sorin, whose fur began to bristle in fear.

"Is that—"

"By the Named God!" Dr. Yanz screeched. "My Hospital! It's…it's burning down!"

The Wolf wasn't kidding when he said he was going to burn the Hospital down when she had least expected it. But the problem was…

…he wasn't the one burning it down.


	50. Chapter 50

**Wow! Chapter 50 already! =D**

**Enjoy this new chapter, guys! =)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 50

Frynda stormed ahead, her head pounding from the lashing she had just given Elphaba. She never knew she would have the courage to stand up to her older sister, especially when she had just confessed her deepest and darkest secret to her.

She knew it was an accident, but it had strangely felt…_good_ to release the weight of the immense secret off her shoulders. She figured as long as Glinda didn't know, she had no problem. She then stopped, wondering why she had walked away from Elphaba in the first place. She looked down at her bare feet, then at the blue bricks that surrounded them. She then turned around and looked down the Blue Brick Road, squinting at the harsh light that was reflecting off the brightly colored bricks.

_I must have been walking for more than I thought,_ she thought, scratching the back of her head. She then glanced at her raggedy garments and sighed heavily at the big 'POTATO' sign and picture that was displayed right across her chest as if she was some sort of walking advertisement.

"I guess I ought to be going back to Elphaba," she said to herself and was about to start walking back when she saw something black against the sky. She smiled as she realized it was Adagio. The Horse soared over her, his winged form casting a massive shadow over her.

She expected to see Elphaba to be on his back, but she frowned when she realized she wasn't. _Where could Elphaba have gone? _the red-skinned girl asked herself as Adagio landed somewhat clumsily a few feet away from her.

"Hey there, red girl," Adagio greeted her, tucking his wings close to his sides as he trotted to her side.

"Where's Elphaba?" Frynda asked him.

Adagio flicked his ears and tipped his head to the side. "Now why would you ask me _that?_ You ought to be asking me what I am doing here or better yet…if I can give you a ride."

Frynda crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Well, I _was _going to ask those questions next, but I guess someone's a little conceited enough to talk about himself first."

"Hey, hey, hey," Adagio snorted. "I'm not just a _little_ conceited. I happen to be _very _conceited."

"Adagio, what are you doing here?" Frynda asked him, giving the happy-go-lucky Horse a small smile despite her cumulating emotions.

"Well, since you asked," Adagio said, "I happen to be sent to keep you out of trouble. There is a certain green sister of yours who wanted me to look after you."

Frynda's smile grew bigger when she realized Elphaba wasn't all that angry with her. After all, she had sent her Horse friend after her youngest sister in order to keep her out of trouble.

"Speaking of trouble," Adagio said to her, raising a horsey brow. "You are not planning on getting into any, are you?"

Frynda then looked at the Horse, a new, determined glint in her amber eyes.

"Oh no," Adagio said, his voice growing low. "I know that look. I've seen it in Elphie before. It's the I'm-gonna-do-something-suicidal look."

Frynda gave him a smirk. "I don't know if suicidal is quite the word for this," she said. "Suicidal, no, but crazy, yes. Adagio, I'm going to save Glinda."

Adagio gulped. "Suicidal. Definitely suicidal."

***

Zafryna watched the last of the Animals disperse into the wild, feeling her energy drain as she used her magic to help heal the numerous wounds the Red Storm soldiers had sustained in the battle.

"Th-thank you," one of the red-uniformed men said after she had healed the rather large scratch on his neck. The man struggled to get up, but only managed to collapse unto the ground. Zafryna hurriedly helped him get up, wincing as he leaned his weight against her.

She then spotted Simon run up to her, his auburn-colored beard grimy and dirty. His usually clean uniform was ripped and shredded and his trademark hat had disappeared.

"Here, let me get him," the doorman said to the struggling younger woman and Zafryna wasted no time in handing the injured man to him.

"Thanks, Simon," Zafryna breathed. "I can't believe this happened."

"Me too," Simon told her, adjusting his supporting grip on the man. "But thank the Named God it is over. And so quickly too."

"I…I shot him," the soldier under Simon's grip coughed.

Both Simon and Zafryna looked down at him, their eyes wide.

"What did you say?" Zafryna asked him.

"I shot the Wizard," the soldier reiterated. "It w-was an accident. A noise startled me and m-made me pull the trigger too quickly. I…I think he was still alive though. I couldn't tell."

Simon looked up at the same time Zafryna did, their eyes connecting. A silent message was conveyed between them.

_This is not over yet. _

Simon then propped up the soldier, the obviously agonized man giving a loud groan. "Let's get you to the Infirmary," he said to him and with a last look at Zafryna, he left her to take care of the rest of the men that were either moaning in pain or strewn across the earth-worn ground, unconscious.

Once Zafryna had gotten everyone into the Palace Infirmary, she allowed herself to sit down on the palace's front steps, burying her head in her yellow-skinned hands. She had barely managed the Red Palace for a day and already there was a fight.

_Some leader_ I_ will grow up to be, _she thought miserably. _Everything's so peaceful when Melena's here. Why am I such a failure?_

Just then there was a light touch on her shoulder. She looked up and gasped. There, her face half-hidden in her cascading waterfall of black hair, was Elphaba. The green woman smiled softly at Zafryna as she bent down to her eye-level. She was panting softly, as if she had sprinted all the way here.

"Elphaba…?" Zafryna asked curiously, leaning back a bit out of sheer surprise.

"I'm here to ask for your help, Zafryna," Elphaba told the yellow-skinned woman. "It's your sister and I—"

"Elphaba, you're my sister, I think I know that," Zafryna said.

The green woman rolled her eyes. "I mean your other sister! Frynda!"

Zafryna furrowed her brows at the mention of her youngest sister. "What about her? Is she alright? I knew I shouldn't have let her go like that—"

"Zafryna, listen to me for a minute," Elphaba said quickly. "I'm sure you know all about the Wizard and what happened here, right?"

"Yes, Elphaba," Zafryna growled slowly. "I'm not _that _stupid. I saw both of you leave in that strange flying Horse—"

"Adagio," Elphaba breathed.

Zafryna tipped her head to the side. "Adagio? You named him?"

"Well, it's a long story. The Wizard—"

"—was shot." Zafryna finished quickly. Elphaba's eyes widened at the yellow-skinned woman's words, wondering how she could be so accurate in her guessing. "A soldier told me he shot the Wizard by mistake."

"I knew it," mumbled Elphaba under her breath. "It won't be long until they have to stop for help."

"Where's your girlfriend?" Zafryna suddenly asked, remembering the small blonde that had always hung unto Elphaba as if her life depended on it.

Elphaba frowned deeply at this. "The Wizard somehow managed to take her with him. I'm afraid if we don't act soon something bad will happen to her. And I can't afford that…not while I'm still alive to stop it."

Zafryna then got up from the steps, Elphaba following suit.

"What do you suppose we do?" Zafryna asked her frantically. "It's not like we can just waltz out to the Evil Wizard and rescue her—"

The green woman opened her mouth to reply when the massive, wooden double doors behind them creaked open. Inett's small head poked out, her hazel eyes widening at the sight of Elphaba, the woman she had only seen before in a crystal ball.

"Um, Zaf…?"

The yellow-skinned woman turned to face her friend. "Yes, Inett?"

"I…I…" It seemed the young brunette was having trouble. "Uh…I just wanted to t-tell you…"

"Out with it, Inett," Zafryna said to her, casting Elphaba an apologetic glance. The green woman shrugged, nonchalant.

"Everyone's in the Infirmary now. The captain wanted to have a word with you," Inett finally managed to choke out.

"Tell him to hold on for a second," Zafryna told her, waving her hand dismissively. "This cannot wait."

Inett nodded and with a last wary glance at Elphaba, she disappeared into the Palace again.

"Who is that?" Elphaba asked her sister, an arched brow raised. Zafryna shrugged, shuffling her boots and twirling a strand of her stark yellow hair self-consciously.

"She's a…friend."

The black eyebrow rose higher. "Uh…huh."

"So, where's Frynda?" Zafryna asked her, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"That's the problem," Elphaba said, deciding to let the subject of Zafryna's strangely attractive friend slide by…for now. "It seems she had decided to play the part of the heroine and had gone after Glinda herself."

"_What?_" shrieked Zafryna. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Frynda here?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Zafryna, our little sister seems to have gained more than just a little confidence away from this Palace. You all have never been outside this place, have you?" Elphaba watched as Zafryna bowed her head.

"Not…really," Zafryna replied softly. "Bolynda and I have been out in Zo a few times, but only when our mother required us to do so, which were mostly diplomatic missions. To answer your question truthfully, Elphaba, I would say Frynda had been the most sheltered out of all of us."

"Wow, that's sad," Elphaba whispered. "You should see her now. It's as if she's a totally different person."

Zafryna's emerald eyes blinked a couple of times, but she said nothing. She then looked up and gasped.

Elphaba, intrigued by her sister's strange behavior, turned around and followed the yellow woman's line of sight to where she could see a rapidly approaching dot in the sky.

"Speaking of our heroic sister," Elphaba whispered to Zafryna, a smile on her lips, "here she comes."

***

Morrible didn't know what hit her. All she remembered was seeing Razaf fall to the ground before her. What happened to make everything change so quickly?

Bolynda has had quite enough of the fish-woman by now. When she had seen Razaf fall like that, something inside of her snapped. The blue girl didn't know she had the strength…the _rage _to break out of her invisible restraints and cast a Vacuum Spell on Morrible.

What surprised her most was that she actually_ knew_ the Vacuum Spell in the first place. She remembered Zafryna and her mother drilling her to no end on it, but she would have never dreamt it would have come in handy one day.

"Rachum trin jast vacaea!" she had cried out, using her hands to shove the force of her magic at Morrible. At first nothing happened, but then the massive woman's body started to contort in all different directions, the very atoms of her being splitting apart. Bolynda cried out as the sheer intensity of her own spell forced her against the wall, her back connecting painfully with the ragged bricks behind her.

She slid unto the floor, watching as Morrible's body exploded into a thousand little particles. A bright white light suddenly erupted everywhere, blinding her vision until she couldn't see anything but the brightness.

When she lowered the hands she used to cover her eyes, she gasped to find that Morrible had disappeared. Nothing remained of the vile woman except the memory of her vicious cackle ringing in Bolynda's ears.

The young blue-skinned witch was panting heavily; the spell had taken out more than she had expected. She shakily stood up, feeling her limbs grow weak from her exhaustion. She turned to where Razaf lay, his muscular form as still as stone. With a loud cry, she hurried to his side, sobbing into his green uniform jacket.

"Oh Razaf," she blubbered. "I'm s-so sorry! I love you too! I—"

Just then an ominous shadow fell across the scene. Bolynda looked up to see Fiyero. The man's face was clouded with pain, his blue eyes swimming with unshed tears.

"Fiyero…" Bolynda whispered. She then reluctantly let go of Razaf's jacket to stand in front of the obviously distraught man. She reached out to touch him, but he drew away, the tears flowing down his dark-skinned face.

"What…happened?" the man choked out, looking down at Razaf's immobile body. He bent down to examine him as Bolynda started to sob all over again.

"H-he tried to s-save me from Morrible," the girl wept. "That bitch killed him! I…I used a spell on her, I don't know what happened, but I th-think I got rid of her."

"For now," Fiyero whispered and looked up at the distressed witch. He slowly got up and tenderly brushed a tear away from her face. "Bolynda, I'm sorry I didn't try to save you…"

The blue girl moved away from him, shaking her head. "No, Fiyero. Don't be. I understand why you have never felt anything for me. You still love her, do you? That Fae girl?"

Fiyero's blue eyes closed as he nodded. "Very much so." He opened them again to look deep into her ice blue gaze. "I'm such a coward. I should have told you instead of used you. I…I…"

"Shh, Fiyero," Bolynda whispered as the man started to break down again. "We can do nothing about it now, can we? It's over and nothing can change what has happened. I…I found out that I shouldn't have worn my heart on my sleeve."

Fiyero looked deeper into her eyes. "You love him, do you?"

Bolynda bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, feeling a few stray tears cascade down her face. "I do…but I am too late to do anything about it."

Fiyero once again used his fingers to brush away the tears. "He loved you too, you know."

Sobs shook the young girl's frame as she nodded. "Y-yes. H-he told me before h-he—"

Fiyero couldn't help but feel sorry for her as he wrapped her in a tight embrace, feeling her bury herself into his chest as she sobbed heavily into his dirty uniform. He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

"He…he was just trying to be the good guy," Bolynda sputtered into his jacket. "H-he d-didn't know that h-he was the good guy all along."

Fiyero closed his eyes, letting the guilt wash over him like a stinging cold shower. He stroked Bolynda's short, black hair, regretting to have hated such a man that had saved this girl's life. _So many things have gone wrong,_ he thought and Bolynda's sobbing quieted down as she read his mind.

_I was wrong on so many levels,_ Fiyero thought. _I hate myself for judging him the way I did. Bolynda, I know you could hear me. _

Bolynda couldn't help but give a little smile at this.

_Can you forgive me? I feel like such an ass right now. _

Bolynda then carefully unwrapped his arms from her shoulders. She drew back to look into his truly sincere eyes.

"Of course I forgive you, even if you _are_ an ass."

Her eyes then traveled to the blue tattoos on his forehead, then to the similarly colored skin in her hands. She reached out to touch the diamond-like tattoo on his forehead, smiling to herself.

"It was as if I was painted on your skin, Fiyero," Bolynda whispered to him.

Fiyero then looked down at his hands, where he could see the numerous blue tattoos etched unto his dark skin. He chuckled. "I guess you're right, Bolynda."

The blue girl then moved her hand from his forehead to his chest, placing it right above his heart. "But I could never be painted on your heart," she told him softly. "That will always belong to your Fae."

Fiyero wrapped his fingers around her dainty hand, making her feel his pulsing heart. "I don't even know if she still loves me," he said sadly.

Bolynda gave him a small smile and moved her hand away from him. "I'm sure she does."

Fiyero opened his mouth to say something but the sound of a groan suddenly filled the empty space around them.

Bolynda looked immediately down to Razaf. He lay as still as ever. Her aqua blue eyes widened at the possibility of her new love being alive somehow.

Fiyero quickly bent down to investigate. He gingerly placed two of his fingers against the man's temple. To his surprise, he felt the faint pulse of life. His blue eyes opened wide as he drew back.

"What is it?" Bolynda asked him, her heart soaring.

Fiyero turned his head to look at her. "He's alive."

Bolynda let out a loud squeal that made him flinch. The blue girl threw herself unto the unconscious Razaf, sobbing great tears of joy.

"Oh Razaf! Can you hear me, baby?" Bolynda said to the silent, sandy-haired man. She then looked up at the obviously confused Fiyero. "She must have used a Stunning Spell on him," she told him, "that just means he'll be out for a while. Oh, Razaf! I'm so glad you're alive!"

The blue girl grabbed the unconscious man in a tight embrace, her tears spilling onto the regal green jacket.

Fiyero took in the sight with a heavy heart, wishing he had the one he really loved with him. He was often lost in his thoughts of Elphaba and what-could-have-been's, like now. A sharp tug on his arm brought him back to reality.

"Help me get him up," Bolynda said to the former Emperor, not oblivious to the man's thoughts of his Fae. Fiyero nodded distractedly and bent down to place his hands under Razaf's armpits. With a groan, Fiyero lifted Razaf's upper body until Bolynda could get a proper grip on his legs.

Once they were ready, they started to carry Razaf down the corridor, careful to avoid any unwanted contact with the local Gale Force guards posted around the cells.

"Where are you suggesting we put him?" Fiyero asked Bolynda as they rounded another corner, narrowly missing an overly curious guard. "It's not like we can keep carrying him around like this…"

"Let's get out of Southstairs first," panted Bolynda, her arms already feeling like they were on fire from Razaf's deadweight. "We need to find a place where he could wake up in peace."

After that they were silent, Fiyero letting out the occasional curse when he almost tripped over his own feet. Bolynda could only pray to the Named God—even if He didn't exist in Oz—to help them get out of Southstairs unscathed.


	51. Chapter 51

**Sorry for the long wait, guys. :P**

**Here's the next chapter. **

**Enjoy! :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 51

Frynda took Adagio's expression as one of total disbelief.

"You really_ are_ crazy, aren't you?" the Horse asked her.

The red-skinned girl shrugged, smiling despite herself. "I guess I am. It runs in the family, you know?"

"Apparently!" Adagio nickered. "Now how do expect to do this daring and potentially dangerous escapade?"

"Well…" Frynda hadn't really thought about how she planned on rescuing Glinda, just the fact that she was actually _going_ to rescue her. She scratched her chin thoughtfully and then snapped her fingers when an idea popped into her mind.

"It'll be simple really," she said to Adagio. "I'll just need you to fly me over to where the caravans are and I'll take care of the rest."

"This is insanity!" Adagio told her. "You_ actually_ want me to deliver you to your death?"

"Well, when you put it that way…," Frynda said and then she flashed him a great smile, her white teeth contrasting against her red skin. "Yes."

Adagio rolled his eyes. "Oh boy. Elphie is _not_ going to like this—"

"Who says she has to like it?" Frynda asked him. "I'll be rescuing her love from her father. What else could she want?"

Adagio nodded. "Yeah, that's—wait. Did you just say—"

Before he had a chance to say anything else, however, Frynda threw herself on top of the Horse, ignoring the sharp pains that shot up from her legs. "C'mon, Adagio! Let's go! Glinda's waiting for us!"

"Actually, about that—"

"What, Adagio?" Frynda asked him angrily, irritated that the Horse was just standing there while Glinda could be hurt or worse…dead. The red girl's body shook at that thought.

Adagio sounded nervous. "Glinda's kinda…well, sorta…"

Frynda narrowed her amber eyes at Adagio's resigned tone. "_What happened to her?_"

"She's unconscious."

Frynda's eyes then opened wide in shock. "Why? Did the Wizard do something to her?"

"No," Adagio said. "It was something she did to herself."

The young girl's voice was shaking now. "Don't tell me she tried to kill herself…?"

"Close, but not quite. She had expected to survive on nothing but air, apparently. She's fainted out of hunger."

Frynda then pulled at Adagio's mane, causing the Horse to give an annoyed nicker.

"What is it with you people and pulling my mane?" Adagio growled angrily. "I mean—_honestly!_"

"We have to get to her before the Wizard does," Frynda told the Horse quickly. "My plan has to work quickly and if what you say is true, we can't afford to waste any more time."

"Alright, Frynda," Adagio said as he took off into the sky, his massive, black wings spreading outwards. "It's_ your_ funeral."

***

"Just a little bit closer, Adagio…"

Adagio flicked his ears, annoyed that he had to help Frynda in her insane plan to rescue Glinda. _I had no other choice,_ he thought to himself, satisfied with his excuse. He then mulled over what he was going to say to Elphaba if indeed her sister should perish in this escapade of hers.

_I'm sorry, Elphie, but your sister died—_

_No,_ he thought. _Too blunt._

_Oh, Frynda? Yeah, well, about her—_

Adagio's thoughts were interrupted as Frynda patted his neck. He looked down at the ground, seeing the long line of caravans where he was sure Glinda lay unconscious in one of them. He felt a slight change in the air and he shifted his feathered wings, lowering his altitude a bit.

"Are you sure you want to go along with this, Frynda?" Adagio asked the girl on his back, his voice small. He couldn't help but feel responsible for the safety of the young witch, especially after Elphaba had entrusted him with looking after her.

"I'm positive, Adagio," Frynda replied confidently. "I have a feeling this will end well—"

"Argh, there goes those feelings again," Adagio snorted, interrupting her mid-sentence. "I swear, you and Elphaba have more in common than I originally thought."

Frynda just smiled as Adagio drifted closer to her intended target. Her heart raced in anticipation and her hands started to feel warm with—wait…her hands were warm? She quickly looked at her hands, her amber eyes opening wide as she saw sparks start to dance between her fingers.

_Oh no, not again—_

"Here you go!" Adagio flapped his wings upwards and then relaxed the muscles, causing them to descend even faster than before. "Jump, Frynda!"

Frynda's eyes were still on her hands, her panic increasing as much as the heat she felt starting to build up in her body. "But—"

"_NOW!_"

Frynda couldn't stop herself as Adagio suddenly shifted to the side, unceremoniously dumping her out of his back. She screamed as she fell, feeling fire start to envelop her entire being. What she feared most had come true. It was happening again.

Adagio looked down at the form of Frynda and his brown eyes widened at the sight of a flaming fireball falling straight towards the caravans below. The frightened Horse let out a loud neigh as the fireball exploded into one of the wooden structures, sending bits of woods flying everywhere. His wings flapped vigorously upwards, causing him to narrowly miss one of the flying projectiles.

When the dust cleared, he saw a raging inferno where a caravan used to stand. His heart dipped precariously as he realized Frynda would have been in there.

_Oh, no,_ he thought dreadfully. _She can't be dead. She can't be dead…can she?_

***

Frynda let out a groan and then a heavy cough as the fire raged around her. She shakily got on all fours, looking around her. The caravan she had crashed into had exploded into flames and she prayed to every god she knew that Glinda wasn't in it.

Looking more carefully around, she could see that this was merely a supply caravan and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. She shakily stood up, seeing the way the flames around her dance with every movement she made. It was as if the fire was part of her—as if she was made out of fire itself.

She could see Adagio circle the sky above her. _He's probably worried about me,_ she thought and she hesitantly raised a hand to wave at him. She then saw his flight pattern falter as he glanced down at her flaming form.

_I guess he's not used to a girl on fire waving to him,_ she chuckled to herself, then frowned as she focused on the task on hand.

_Where's Glinda? _

Frynda stepped out of the smoldering wreckage, feeling the fire continually swirling around her body. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the tell-tale shape of a dog-like Animal lope towards a small building she had seen when she had been on Adagio's back. Her common sense told her to stay and see what the Wolf was going to do, but she decided to go against it and started to look for Glinda.

Fortunately for her, the caravan she had crashed into was one of the furthest ones, earning her a bit of time before the Wizard or one of his cohorts could realize that one of their wooden wagons was on fire. It took some time for her to locate the caravan and since she was on fire, she couldn't touch anything without burning it down to the ground.

"This is going to be difficult," she muttered under her breath. That's when she saw one particular wagon with the door broken off its hinges. Letting her childish curiosity take over, she walked towards it, hoping with all her heart that she would find Glinda there…alive.

***

Glinda woke up to the sound of an explosion. The blonde let out a groan, clutching her aching stomach.

_I'm such an idiot,_ she thought to herself. _I should have eaten that stupid bunny Elphie had gotten for me. Now Adagio—_

She looked around, surprised to find that the black Horse was gone. Her blue eyes widened in terror as she discovered that she was still in one of the Wizard's caravans. And this time, she was all alone.

Quickly she crawled across the hay-covered ground towards the door, her heavy grunts echoing against the wooden walls surrounding her. She then saw that the door to the caravan was wide open.

Wait a tick-tock.

It was _wide open_.

She suddenly stopped a few feet away from her escape. _Why would the door be so conveniently open for me? _she thought. She then wanted to hit herself as she realized Adagio must have escaped _somehow._

_This hunger is getting to me,_ she told herself. _I have to find something to eat…and soon. _

As if on cue, her stomach gave a mighty lurch, causing her to involuntarily retch on the ground. Nothing came up, since she had nothing in her stomach, but this action had caused her more pain than she had thought possible.

"Oh my Oz," she croaked, collapsing on the ground before she could reach the door. She coughed, suddenly feeling very lightheaded. She stole a look at her arms, her normally beautiful, pale skin now a ghostly white.

Suddenly the smell of smoke reached her nostrils and her blue eyes widened in shock. She lifted her head just high enough to see something bright come her way. Before she could recognize what it was, however, her vision turned black once again as she fainted for the second time.

***

Frynda saw Glinda's head droop to the ground as the blonde passed out. The red-skinned girl visibly panicked and ran into the caravan, realizing only too late that the fire that enveloped her body would catch alight the flammable wood that surrounded them.

_Oh no!_ she thought and racked her brain for anything she could do. Unfortunately she wasn't known for her quick-thinking. The caravan slowly burned as she looked at Glinda on the floor, so helpless and frail-looking. The younger girl then got a brilliant idea, giving her the extra boost in confidence that she so desperately needed.

Frynda muttered a simple Fire Resistant Spell towards the unconscious Glinda and watched as the flaming hand that she held out to the blonde touched harmlessly against the pale skin. Despite the current situation, she smiled to herself as she lifted the lightweight blonde into her arms, glad that her limited knowledge of magic came in handy here. She had never thought she would need her magic, but she was happily proved wrong in this situation.

With Glinda safe in her arms, she quickly ran out of the smoldering caravan before it collapsed in on itself. By this time the Animals around the inferno had taken notice of the scene taking place before them. They warily approached Frynda and the blonde in her arms, confused as to why she was on fire and the girl in her arms wasn't screaming in agony.

Frynda just ignored the obviously curious Animals and ran across the blue bricks that made up the Blue Brick Road, feeling the cold bricks burn against her bare, flaming feet. She turned in circles, looking for the tell-tale form of Adagio. She knew the Fire Resistant Spell was only temporary, so she had to hurry and find Adagio if she had any hopes of saving Glinda.

_Oh, where is that stupid Horse when you need him?_

***

Turak, who had been lazily watching his partner from the lead caravan, noticed something going on near the end of the caravan line. Being the curious Wolf he was, he decided to investigate. He trotted away from Sorin, who looked as if he was in a heated discussion with the Gorilla at the Hospital's door.

The gray Wolf was quite surprised to scent smoke in the air as he padded ever closer to the end of the line. He gave a loud bark as he saw that two of the caravans were up in flames. His pelt bristled in terror and he looked around.

Animals of every shape and size were running around in a chaos, obviously startled by the fire. Turak, however, wouldn't let himself be so easily intimidated. He shouldered though the crowd, wanting to know what the cause of this commotion was.

His yellow eyes then opened wide as he took in the sight of a rather young-looking, red-skinned human holding another girl in her arms. What made his pelt tremble in fear was the fire that enveloped both of them. He remembered seeing the both of them before when the Wizard had sent he and Sorin after the blonde after she had escaped out of his clutches.

Turak slowly backed away, his tail tucked between his legs. If he didn't know any better—which he didn't—he could've sworn the red girl was_ protecting_ the blonde using her hell-like fire. Suddenly there was a great whooshing sound and the flying Horse appeared out of nowhere, landing just a few feet away from Turak.

He watched as the flaming girl practically threw the blonde over the Horse's back. Even with the harsh contact she didn't wake up…it seemed as if she was in some sort of a coma. The Horse then nickered a few words to the girl and she shook her head in response.

"No, Adagio," Turak heard her say. "I have to stay behind. I'll surely burn you if I come with you."

"But Frynda—" The Horse's nicker sounded desperate.

"No, Adagio," Frynda reiterated firmly. "Take her to Elphaba. I'll be fine…I promise."

Adagio cast one last, sad look at the girl and his wings spread slowly, preparing to take off with the unconscious blonde on his back. "Take care of yourself," was all he murmured to her before taking off into the air.

That was when Turak finally realized his quarry was escaping while he just stood there. He let out an enraged bark and bounded after the flying Horse, racing past the flaming girl. He let out an instinctive yelp as the fire singed his fur, but he kept on going.

"_Hey, you!_"

The girl's voice made him stop, the gray Wolf panting heavily from his sprint. He gazed after the retreating form of the Horse and the blonde, furious with himself for giving up the obviously futile chase. He slowly turned around to face the flaming girl, his claws digging into the earth under him.

"Are you looking for a fight, Wolf?" Frynda called to him boldly, returning his challenging stare. "If you are, then you've got one right here!"

Turak, in his naivety, foolishly charged at the red-skinned girl, his mind clouded by rage and bloodlust. He pounced on the girl, realizing only too late the overwhelming heat that suddenly engulfed him. He let out a howl as he and Frynda tumbled backwards into the Hospital's wooden wall. The momentum of their tumble caused them to burst through the structure and therefore created a massive hole in the wall. It only took a matter of seconds before the Hospital started to go up in flames.

Frynda hurriedly pulled the Wolf off her, the smell of singed fur hitting her nostrils like a ton of bricks. She let out a cough and got up from the ground, looking around to see that she was in a rather clean hospital room. She raised a brow.

_A hospital room…?_

Turak let out whine, his fur still on fire. He hobbled around the room, his agonized howls echoing in Frynda's ears. She knew she had to get out of there before the Hospital could collapse on them both. She couldn't care less about the Wolf—he could die for all she cared.

She was about to turn around and make her escape when a small voice called out from somewhere within the smoky room.

"H-help…"

Frynda quickly turned around, peering though the overwhelming smoke towards the voice. She walked further into the room, the snaps and crackles of the fire surrounding her drowning out Turak's feeble whimpers. She listened hard and then shook her head, wondering if she had imagined it.

A cough then confirmed there was another being with her in this room, besides the dying Wolf, who was now trying to stamp out the flames on his coat with his tail, but only succeeding in catching his tail on fire as well.

"Where are you?" she called into the smoke, wishing she had Zafryna's keen hearing in order to hear this small voice. She figured she had to help this person, whoever he or she was. With the building smoldering at this rapid rate, whoever it was could get hurt—or worse die if she didn't help them soon enough.

A cough sent her veering to the right. Through the smoke she could see the faint outline of a hospital bed and she stepped up her pace. Suddenly, as if she pulled an internal off switch, the fire around her disappeared. She stopped for a brief moment, looking at her now naked body.

_What the hell was that?_ she asked herself. Spotting a nearby hospital robe strewn on the ground, she hurriedly put it on, not wanting herself to go through the horrible embarrassment of going around unclothed again, even though the only person that was going to see her didn't really care whether she was naked or not.

It was entirely too small for her, but she couldn't care less. As she finished with the robe, the structure around her gave a spine-chilling creak and she jumped out of pure surprise.

_I better hurry or this person won't be the only one underneath rubble!_ she warned herself and stumbled over to the cot. She could see that the person just lay there, as still as stone. Her heart stopped, fearing that whoever this girl was—she could tell by the long, brown hair that she was a 'she'—was dead already.

A meek cough told her that this girl was still alive. She wasted no time in scooping her in her strong arms, the girl's weight surprisingly feather light. The person gave no response whatsoever than to just go limp in Frynda's arms, more coughs wracking through her frail body.

"Don't worry," Frynda whispered to her. "I'll get you out of here in no time."

The girl looked about fourteen, but not quite fifteen. There was something about her that looked as if she was mature for her age. Frynda wasn't allowed to dwell much on her musings about the girl when she felt the heat of the fire that was starting to appear around her.

The wooden structure gave another loud creak and the red-skinned girl couldn't help but jump again, the girl in her arms flinching at the harsh sound. Frynda could already see the bright light of the rapidly approaching flames, her amber eyes going wide in her impending dread.

They had to get out of there. And fast.

_That is,_ Frynda thought with a gulp, _if we can get out of here _alive_._


	52. Chapter 52

**As you've all probably noticed, my updates have gotten to be progressively slower. This is due to a little thing called life that I'm sure you all experience from time to time. :P**

**But don't worry; I still have a ways to go with this story. **

**Enjoy this new chapter!**

**-Essence**

**P.S: Happy Wicked Day and Happy Early Halloween! 8D**

* * *

Chapter 52

Elphaba watched the skies intently as Adagio descended towards them, his black figure now becoming a distinctive Horse shape. She then frowned when she didn't see her red-skinned sister on top of his back. Zafryna nudged her bony shoulder, casting a questioning look at her direction.

The green woman shrugged in response, not knowing what crazy endeavor Frynda must have taken in order not to come back with her Horse friend. She hoped with everything she had in her that her youngest sister hadn't decided to play the part of heroine and take on the Wizard himself…that would be too unreal to believe, and not to mention _suicidal_.

At this, Elphaba smirked at Frynda's own words. _Maybe the gene of suicidal maniac runs in the family,_ she thought to herself. _If it does, I wouldn't be surprised to find that Frynda has indeed challenged the Wizard herself._ _It's not like this is the first time that's happened. I've challenged him myself once upon a nightmare._

She then sighed.

_But Frynda?_ she thought, the picture of the red-skinned sixteen-year-old filling her mind. _Frynda, a girl who barely even knows herself, taking on the _Wizard?

She shook her head. _Nah._

She watched as Adagio landed clumsily in front of them, quite surprised to find that Frynda wasn't on his back. Zafryna jumped at the sudden nearness of the massive Animal.

Before Elphaba could question Adagio on the whereabouts of Frynda, she spotted something yellow beneath one of Adagio's outstretched wings.

_Oh my Oz!_ she thought, her eyes opening wide. _That's…that's Glinda! Frynda did it! She actually saved my precious girl!_

Elphaba quickly made his way to Adagio's side, crying out when she took in the sight of her lover draped across the Horse's back. To her immediate dismay, she found that Glinda's usually vibrant form looked so lifeless and frail-looking.

"Oh, Glinda!" Elphaba cried and hurriedly gathered the unconscious blonde in her arms, losing herself in the sweet scent. It was one of those moments when she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but only succeeded in succumbing herself into fitful sobs.

Zafryna watched the teary reunion with a confused look on her sharp face. She glanced at Adagio, who looked like he was about to cry himself. The yellow-skinned woman shook her head, not really understanding what was going on.

Elphaba finally let go of Glinda to breathe in the midst of her wracking sobs. She had never cried so hard in her life. Tears burned their way down her green cheeks as she held the love of her life in her arms, the blonde deathly pale and eerily still.

A rough nudge to her shoulder brought her back to reality. Adagio was looking at her with big, sad brown eyes.

"She needs to eat something," the Horse said to her and for a moment Elphaba thought she had misheard.

"Excuse me?" she asked, or rather, sniffed.

"She starved herself, Elphie. We have to get her something to eat before she could get any more emaciated."

Those words were like a knife had pierced its way though Elphaba's heart. She looked down at the precious girl in her arms, then back at the concerned Horse.

"Oh my Oz," she managed to choke out before mumbling incomprehensibly into Glinda's blouse.

Zafryna, even with her excellent hearing, could only catch the word 'food' amongst all the gibberish Elphaba was saying to herself.

_Maybe I can whip up something for Glinda to eat,_ she thought to herself, glad that her extraordinary cooking skills would come in handy—even though it was for the slightly unconventional reason of reviving someone. _And then maybe somebody could tell me what's going on and where Frynda is. _

"Follow me inside," Zafryna told them quickly. "I think I can come up with a way to revive Glinda without startling her too much."

Elphaba then glanced up at her yellow-skinned sister, suddenly remembering that Zafryna happened to be a whiz in the kitchen. She managed to give her a small smile and muttered a soft,

"Lead the way."

Zafryna nodded to her and was about to go back into the Red Palace when she noticed Adagio giving her a curious stare. She turned around to face him, her hands wringing together nervously.

"I think you ought to stay out here," she told him quietly, not quite sure how Adagio was going to react to her telling him what to do. She closed her green eyes, expecting a powerful rebuke from the winged Horse.

To her surprise, however, Adagio remained calm and nodded his head, his long, black mane tossing back and forth.

"You girls go ahead," he said and swished his tail. "I'll be out here resting my wings. Just tell me when Glinda wakes up, okay? And bring a carrot or two if you don't mind."

"Thanks for understanding," Zafryna couldn't help but say to him. "It's kind of hard to fit you though the door and not to mention in the halls—"

"I said I was fine," Adagio said, narrowing his eyes. "Don't push it."

Elphaba couldn't help but smile as Zafryna gulped uncertainly.

"He's actually really friendly," the green woman stage-whispered to the obviously scared girl. "You just have to get used to him."

Adagio rolled his eyes. "That's what_ she_ said."

Zafryna quickly glanced between the two of them, a brow raised. She then let her eyes rest on the awfully pale blonde in her green sister's arms and her heart sank as she realized Glinda looked sicker than she thought.

"We have to hurry," she whispered, looking up into Elphaba's brown eyes again. "I'm afraid we don't have much time."

Without another word, they entered the Red Palace, leaving Adagio to his thoughts and the appetizing nearby bushes. Trotting towards them, he wondered whether or not he should go back for Frynda.

_She looked like she could take care of herself,_ he thought as he nibbled on a brightly colored flower. _After all, she _was _on fire._

_Which reminds me,_ he thought, quickly switching his focus towards the neatly cut grass under him after he found that the flower was particularly sour. _I have to ask her how she managed to be on fire and not get burned at the same time. It was rather…odd that she would explode in flames after I dropped her. Maybe it was something I did…?_

He shook his head, uprooting the grass as he did so. She's _just one weird girl, _hethought._ And that one thing she said about the Wizard being Elphie's father…I think she needs to have someone slap her head really hard and knock some sense into that thick skull of hers. There is no way the Evil Wizard could be Elphie's father…_

He then stopped mid-chew, thinking about this.

_Could he be her father?_ he asked himself. He shook his head again, this time chuckling to himself.

_You're being ridiculous, Adagio,_ he told himself. _There's no way in Zo that he could be her father. After all…I didn't see a speck of green skin on him, now did I?_

Satisfied with his answer, he kept on chewing the grass, his thoughts wandering back to his human friends, Elphaba and Glinda. The way Glinda's body looked so frail and her weight so light had scared the shit out of the Horse and he was deeply concerned for his small blonde friend.

He closed his eyes and silently prayed to the Named God, something he hadn't done in a long time ever since his sister had died under the Evil Wizard's 'firestick' all those years ago.

"Whoever you are…because I don't know your name and even though people say you're named I still have no idea what your actual name is…" Adagio then cleared his throat, realizing he had been rambling to a deity.

"Um, Mr. Named God, sir, could you please let Glinda be okay?" he whispered quickly into the air. "Just think of what Elphaba would do to herself if she found out her girlfriend is dead. We wouldn't want that, now do we? She's suicidal enough as it is."

He opened his eyes, glancing up at the sky above him. "Oh, and a little more luck with the mares would be nice too." He then hurriedly closed his eyes.

After a few beats of silence, the Horse furrowed his brows, not sure what was appropriate to say after a prayer to the Named God.

"Uh…okay then. Thank you and…um. Bye?"

Adagio lifted his head up to the sky, not sure whether or not his message got across to the Named God. He was not a particularly religious Horse, but he had gained some knowledge from his family back when he was just a young Colt.

He then happily got back to his grassy meal. The sun above him was just barely starting to set in the horizon, casting an array of beautiful, distorted colors all around the Zoian landscape like a painter's experiment on canvas.

***

"You stupid, yet lovable girl," Elphaba softly whispered to Glinda as they walked the through the winding corridors of the Red Palace towards the kitchen. The green witch was so glad to have her love back in her arms again, even though Glinda wasn't conscious to even recognize that she was being carried.

As soon as they had traveled all the way up the main staircase towards the bedrooms, Zafryna turned around to face Elphaba. "Why don't you take her up to the guest room?" she asked the green woman. "Lay her down on the bed there and just wait for me to bring the food. It won't take long, I promise."

She was about to leave when she felt a light touch on her arm. She turned around to see Elphaba smiling at her, a certain sparkle in her brown eyes that the yellow-skinned woman had never seen before.

"Thank you, Zafryna," Elphaba said truthfully. "I mean it. Thank you."

Zafryna returned her smile and nodded. "No problem. That's what sisters do. They help each other."

She felt Elphaba's smile on her back all the way down the stairs and until she disappeared into the catacombs of the Palace, where she could recall the maze-like halls by heart, having traveled through there hundreds of times before.

Zafryna abruptly turned a corner, her black cloak billowing behind her. The halls were quiet, since everyone in the Palace was at the Infirmary with the wounded Red Storm soldiers.

Well…not _everyone._

Inett had been cooking something when Zafryna burst into the kitchen. As soon as Inett caught sight of the yellow-skinned woman, the brunette jumped out of sheer surprise. The stew she had been cooking spilled all over the floor and she let out a loud gasp.

"I'm sorry, Inett," Zafryna apologized to her quickly and started to help her pick up the spilled liquid. "I didn't know you were in here."

"That's okay," the brunette breathed. "It's not your fault. I just get startled easily."

She then shooed the yellow-skinned hands of her friend away from the mess on the tiled floor. "I'll clean this up, don't worry."

"Let me help you," Zafryna said firmly, scrubbing the rag that Inett had procured from her apron against the floor.

"No, Zaf," Inett said and snatched the rag from the woman's hands before she could do anything to stop her. "I work for you, remember? _I_ should be the one cleaning, not _you_."

"That's bullshit and you know it," growled Zafryna. "You're my friend and I help you because I want to. Now give me that rag."

Inett couldn't help but hand the rag back to the older woman. She sighed heavily and watched as Zafryna cleaned up the rest of the spilled stew. When she was done, the yellow-skinned woman looked back up towards the brunette.

"See? There, all done." She wiped her hands against her black shirt, not caring whether or not it got dirty in the process.

"I just wish you would let me do my job for once," chuckled Inett as she helped Zafryna up from the floor.

"Don't worry, I will." Zafryna then winked at her. "Someday."

Inett laughed, and then decided to change the subject. "So, what happened to your sister—I mean Elphaba?"

Zafryna frowned, as if she just remembered why she had come to the kitchen in the first place. She stared into Inett's hazel eyes, her own emerald green eyes shadowed.

"Inett, can you make more of this?" she asked her, gesturing to the empty pot that once housed stew. When Inett gave her a questioning look she clarified,

"Elphaba's girlfriend has fainted out of hunger. She needs something to revive her."

Inett raised a brow at the mention of Elphaba having a girlfriend more than the news that she fainted out of starvation. "I didn't know she was into…girls," she said. She then shook her head. "I'll do it, though. Um, do you want to do something special with it or—"

"Actually, I do." Zafryna hurriedly went over to the cabinets that lined the kitchen walls. She opened one and then the other, looking for something she had placed there not too long ago.

_C'mon,_ she thought to herself fervently. _I know I put it _somewhere.

After a few more minutes of searching she found what she was looking for. She brought out the green bottle and handed it to Inett, who took it hesitatingly.

"It's Miracle Elixir," she explained to the obviously baffled girl. "I found this in Elphaba's room after they had left. It has magical properties, but it tends to be very unpredictable. Just a few drops in the stew will do for now."

"Can I ask you what exactly _is_ this?" Inett asked her, examining the green bottle that she held so delicately in her hand.

"That's the problem," Zafryna admitted. "I don't even know myself. I just know it works. You have to hurry, Inett—we don't have much time."

Inett noticed the desperation in her friend's voice and the brunette nodded. She was about to turn away to start boiling the water for the stew when she turned back to face Zafryna again, a brow raised.

"By the way," she added lightly, poking Zafryna between her ribs, "the captain's still waiting for you to talk to him in the Infirmary. He didn't look too happy the last time I saw him."

Zafryna wanted to hit herself for being so absent-minded. "Oh right! I forgot about that! Thanks, Inett. If it weren't for having you as a friend, I didn't know what I would do with myself these days."

Inett smiled at that and watched her yellow-skinned friend rush out of the kitchen. The brunette let out a small hum and turned around to start the stew, stealing a glance or two at the bottle of Miracle Elixir that sat so conspicuously on the counter beside her.

_Miracle Elixir, huh?_ she thought to herself. _That's a new one._

She then focused her hazel eyes back to her work, the little smile never leaving her face.

***

"Careful…careful…"

"Bolynda, please!" Fiyero cried towards the hovering blue girl, exasperated. He was trying to set down Razaf's body in the small, abandoned cot they had found in a janitor's closet. They had managed to sneak out of Southstairs undetected and now they were back in the main Green Palace.

Bolynda was so glad to be out of that musty old place, but now her main focus was to wake up Razaf, who looked eerily pale to her. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Fiyero, who finally managed to put the unconscious man down in the ridiculously small and dirty cot.

"I think he's as comfortable as he could be in a dump like this," Fiyero told her. He stepped away and allowed Bolynda to close the gap between her and the man who she supposedly loved.

"So he doesn't know you love him yet?" Fiyero asked her as she gently stroked Razaf's cheek with the back of her hand. The blue girl looked up at the former Emperor at his question.

"No, he doesn't. I didn't have time to tell him."

Fiyero blinked at her and watched as she started to examine Razaf's body. "What are you doing?" the dark-skinned man asked her, a brow raised in confusion.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to wake him," Bolynda said.

"Why don't you just shake him?" Fiyero asked her.

Bolynda narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh really? Now why didn't _I_ think of that before?" Noticing Fiyero's offended reaction, she chuckled, "Fiyero, it's not that simple. Morrible had casted a magical spell on him, so nothing conventional will wake him except magic itself. The problem is, however, I don't know _what _spell Morrible used on him."

Fiyero shook his head, not really understanding the magic involved in this. After a few moments of silence, he said,

"I'm going to go and keep a lookout outside, okay?"

Bolynda just nodded as she kept looking over Razaf, searching for any sign that a particular spell was used on him. For once she wished she had Zafryna with her—the yellow-skinned girl was good at these sorts of magical things.

Fiyero quietly slipped outside of the janitor's closet, softly closing the door behind him. He contemplated leaving them behind, but his better judgment told him to wait until Bolynda was done with…well, whatever she was doing to Razaf.

He had been standing there for no more than five minutes when he caught sight of something moving in the shadows. His senses immediately going on high alert, Fiyero Tiggular looked around the seemingly empty hall.

A pair of blue-green eyes then appeared out of the darkness, startling the former Emperor. Commander Rayne stepped out of the shadows, his loaded rifle already pointed at Fiyero's chest.

"Commander," Fiyero growled, narrowing his blue eyes. "I never knew it would be _you _who would betray me like this."

"So did I, your _Ozness_," Rayne sneered, pressing the barrel uncomfortably close against Fiyero's broad chest. "But I thought you had the intention of the good of Oz before all others. I guess not. The witch in that room proves it."

Fiyero certainly wasn't surprised to learn that Commander Rayne had been working with Morrible all along. Rayne had always been the sort who would sway to any direction at the drop of a hat. Only Oz knows why Fiyero had appointed him as commander in the first place…but then again, the former Winkie Prince barely knew _anything_ about politics, let alone who to appoint as his chain of command.

"Step away from that door," Rayne said to him fiercely. "I said _step away_."

But Fiyero did no such thing. The dark-skinned man just gave the commander a smirk only reserved for the times he felt like being a jerk. And this felt like a jerk-y situation.

"I'm going to count to three…," Rayne warned him through gritted teeth, pushing his rifle against Fiyero so hard he could swear he could feel the former Emperor's heart beating.

"Well, it's good to know that you can count," Fiyero said smartly, reveling in the way that Rayne's white face turned red with hot fury.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Rayne spat at him. "Well, think again, your Ozness! See if you can try and outwit me!"

Before the commander knew what happened, he was staring down the barrel of his own gun. Fiyero had stolen it from right under his nose while he had been distracted! The sound of Fiyero's laughter rang in his ears as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"It seems I_ have_ outwitted you, good commander," Fiyero said cockily. "Haven't I always told you not to point a gun at me? It seems I have the upper hand here and you can't do anything about it."

Rayne slowly backed away from him, keeping his blue-green eyes trained on the barrel of the gun pointed straight at the space between his eyes. He let out an uneasy gulp and stammered,

"I-I'm going to w-warn—"

"Warn who?" Fiyero asked him, raising a brow. "Madame Fish Face has left the building. Or didn't you hear?"

Rayne could almost feel his jaw hit the floor. "W-what?!"

Fiyero scratched his chin. "It seems this 'witch' you speak of had more spark than you originally imagined. She sent the real witch to oblivion."

"Impossible!" the commander said, not believing what he was hearing. Had the woman he had been so confident of had actually been sent to oblivion, as Fiyero said? It was just so sudden and unsettling to believe.

"You want to ask her for yourself?" Fiyero asked Rayne, raising a hand to tap on the closed door of the janitor's closet behind him. He was sure Bolynda would be too busy to indulge in his whim of scaring Rayne, but he knew just the mere sight of the blue girl would scare the commander to death.

"N-no!" Rayne stammered, his voice rising to an octave that was not normal for a grown man. "Look, whatever spell she c-casted on you—"

"Spell? _What _spell?" Fiyero asked him. "I am not under any spell. What other lies have Morrible fed to you, Rayne?"

Rayne just stared at him, his body getting twitchy, as if he was going to run. Fiyero quickly raised the rifle to point it at the commander again, pressing the barrel warningly against the trembling man's chest as Rayne had done to him just a few minutes ago.

"Don't you go anywhere," Fiyero warned him, "or I'll make sure your head ends up in the other side of this hall."

Rayne let out a feral-like snarl. "You don't scare me!"

"Oh really?" Fiyero asked him and looked down at his pants, where he could see a light stain starting to appear. Rayne followed his eyes and turned a curious shade of bright red at the obviously embarrassing sight.

"Aw, shit," Rayne muttered.

Fiyero couldn't help but smirk.


	53. Chapter 53

**Hey there! :D**

**Here's chapter 53, all nice and warm from the document manager, lol. (That sounded a lot better in my head, I swear!). :P**

**Anywho...enjoy! :D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 53

Elphaba softly stroked Glinda's blonde curls, her brown eyes studying the younger girl's face like one of those beautiful books of poetry she enjoyed so much. The green woman let out a heavy sigh and placed her hands back on her lap, wondering what was taking Zafryna so damn long.

She got up from the edge of the bed and started to pace, her impatience showing as clear as day. Elphaba hated waiting for _anything_, usually making her an 'insufferable mean green thing' according to Glinda.

Right now the blonde couldn't afford to wait and her debilitating condition told that so. Elphaba could barely see her chest rising and falling and that small action was what all her hopes were riding on.

_C'mon, Zafryna,_ Elphaba thought angrily. She then walked back to Glinda's side, figuring that pacing wouldn't do her any good right now. She resorted to taking the unconscious blonde's hand, feeling the faint warmth that radiated from it.

"Glinda, my sweet," she whispered to her softly. "Wake up, please. I want to see those beautiful blue eyes again. I…I don't know why you did this to yourself, but I just want you to wake up for me. Please."

Elphaba stared hard into her lover's pale face, wanting so badly to kiss her, but refraining from doing so.

Suddenly a light sound erupted from the blonde's dry lips and Elphaba's heart lurched instantly.

"Glinda?" Her normally smooth voice shook and she tightened the grip she had on her love's hand. She searched the blonde's features for any sign of consciousness.

"Ugh," groaned Glinda, her blue eyes fluttering open. Her gaze then focused on the obviously relieved woman above her and she gave her a small smile.

"Glinda," Elphaba breathed and gathered the small blonde in her arms, barely suppressing a sob of relief. "Glinda, why do you have to be so stupid?"

Glinda's soft features were twisted in confusion as Elphaba let her go. "Elphie?" Her voice was feeble and it hurt her parched throat to speak. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know you have to eat, my sweet?" Elphaba caressed her cheek affectionately. "It's a basic necessity."

Glinda leaned into the green hand, sighing. "I must have forgotten that I was so hungry. I was too busy looking for you after that horrible man took you away from me."

Elphaba forced herself not to roll her eyes at the mention of her love forgetting to eat. Instead she leaned forward and kissed Glinda, the blonde returning it with a little less enthusiasm than normal since she was so weak.

"After all," Glinda chuckled after they parted. "It was payback for you killing yourself a few days back."

Elphaba frowned humorlessly. "You know that's not funny."

Glinda let out another sigh. "I know it's not. I'm sorry I worried you, Elphie. I—"

"Shh," Elphaba said and placed two fingers on the blonde's lips before she could say anything else. "You need your rest now. Zafryna is going to bring you some food so you can start building your strength back up." She got up from the bed and started to walk away before Glinda's hand on her arm stopped her.

"But Elphie—"

Elphaba gingerly removed the blonde's hand and enveloped it in both her green ones. "I'll explain later, okay? I have to find out what's taking Zafryna so long."

Glinda reluctantly let go of her love and watched her disappear behind the door of the room. She let out a frustrated sigh and crossed her arms across her chest. She knew it was stupid of her to let herself starve, but this wasn't the first time it had happened. Once when she had been a student at Shiz she had forgotten to eat when she crammed for the final tests. It had taken Elphaba more than just a few tries to get her to eat and when she did, Glinda had aced those tests with flying colors.

Not after Elphaba had helped her study of course. Glinda had never been an exceptional student at Shiz, but having a bookworm as a roommate has had its advantages. When Elphaba had left to go against the Wizard, however, Glinda had to struggle just to slide by those last few years of school. Soon she gave up and started her career as Glinda the Good, Oz's beloved idol.

Glinda closed her eyes as she remembered the day that Morrible had offered her the honorific of being 'Glinda the Good'. The Wizard had been standing right beside her, that all-too-familiar fake smile plastered on his face. Of course she had accepted their proposition. She was Glinda the Popular…Glinda the Beautiful…

She was Glinda the Good.

When she reunited with Elphaba it was as if an old match inside of her had suddenly been relit. Nothing else could have made her feel more alive than standing beside that woman she now calls her girlfriend. All thoughts of her honorific had been erased when Elphaba had touched her face, when they kissed for that very first time…it was like a dream had come true for Glinda.

And she didn't need any cheesy honorifics to prove it. She just had to be Glinda.

And that was good enough for her.

***

Elphaba barely walked a few steps into the hall when she saw a figure make its way towards her. Instantly she recognized the young brunette that had spoken to Zafryna earlier.

_Oh, it's Zafryna's 'friend',_ she thought, smirking as Inett drew closer.

Inett jumped a little as she realized Elphaba had been watching her. She shakily handed the green woman the bowl of boiling hot stew, asking herself whether or not she should tell her about the Miracle Elixir she had so carefully applied to it.

Elphaba accepted the bowl, wondering why the brunette had come instead of Zafryna. She noticed the way Inett bowed her head and shuffled her shoes nervously, as if she was afraid to meet Elphaba's eyes.

"I'm Elphaba, by the way," the green woman said to her and extended her hand towards the timid girl. Inett looked at it curiously before shyly shaking it. "I don't think we've met."

"Inett," the brunette replied softly, still avoiding her ever-penetrating gaze. "Um, I…I better get going—"

Without another word, Inett did an about-face and rushed down the hall, leaving a bewildered Elphaba behind. The green woman just shrugged and walked back into the room where Glinda was waiting for her, arms crossed against her chest.

"That was fast," the blonde commented.

Elphaba shrugged again and walked over to her bedside. The smell of the stew had aroused Glinda at a considerable level, for she sat up and licked her lips hungrily, her eyes widening at the sight of the food.

"Mm, that smells good," she said and reached out her hands to take the bowl from Elphaba.

"Uh-uh," the green woman told her and waggled a finger to her face. "I'm going to make _sure_ you eat this time."

Glinda pouted. "But, Elphie, I_ am_ going to eat—"

Elphaba just took the spoon, blew on it to cool it off some and lifted it towards the blonde's mouth. "Open up and say 'ahh'."

Glinda smiled as she realized what her green love was trying to do and she opened her mouth with a cute little '_ahh'_ as instructed. Elphaba fed her the warm stew, the blonde swallowing it down with vigor.

"Wow, this is _really _good," Glinda said, licking her lips. She then grabbed the bowl before Elphaba could do anything to stop her. The blonde started to gulp down the stew at an alarming rate, not knowing quite what was making her so ravenous for the stew.

Elphaba couldn't help but chuckle as she saw her love so engrossed in the meal. _I guess she was hungrier than I thought_, she thought. After a few moments of this, the green woman lightly touched Glinda's arm.

"Stop eating so quickly, my sweet," she advised her reasonably. "You'll get a stomachache."

Glinda continued, despite Elphaba's warning. "Can't…stop…" she huffed between bites. "Just…so…good…"

Elphaba knitted her black brows together, but she said nothing. She then saw Glinda thoroughly lick the bowl and spoon and she couldn't help but chuckle with amusement.

"I shall ask Inett to make more of that for myself since you like it so much, my sweet," Elphaba said.

Glinda handed her back the now empty bowl with a satisfied smile, feeling more like herself again. "Who's Inett?" she asked her green love as she put the bowl on the nightstand near the bed.

"Oh, just an employee here," Elphaba said dismissively as she settled herself on the bed beside Glinda, feeling the blonde's arms wrapping around her thin waist. She heard Glinda give a soft sigh as she nuzzled into the green woman's chest.

"I've missed you, Elphie," the blonde whispered, lazily tracing invisible designs on her lover's grimy black shirt.

"Me too, my sweet," Elphaba sighed, tightening the grip she had on Glinda's shoulder protectively. "I guess I should explain how you got here."

Glinda looked up at her love's tense, green face and kissed the underside of her chin. "Not yet, my love. Go get yourself something to eat first. I could hear your stomach complaining from here."

"Is it _that_ loud?" Elphaba chuckled as she separated herself from the blonde. "Alright. Don't move. I'll be right back."

"Honestly, Elphaba," Glinda sighed as she rolled unto her back. "Do you really think I'm going to go anywhere in this state?"

Elphaba chuckled again as she bent down to kiss her. "No, I guess not."

Glinda smiled into the kiss and reached up to tenderly stroke some of that silky, raven-black hair. "Hurry back, okay?" she asked, her voice small.

Elphaba nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

"And I do mean _hurry back_," breathed Glinda heavily, abruptly grabbing Elphaba's collar, pulling the surprised woman closer to her and kissing her passionately. Elphaba raised her brows at Glinda's surprising gesture but melted into the kiss, feeling her lover's need clearly.

When they parted, Glinda stared straight into her green love's brown eyes, trying to convey the strange, sudden urge for her girlfriend with just one look.

Luckily Elphaba got the message and hastily left the room, leaving Glinda to smile to herself and stare up at the ceiling, wondering why this desperate need for her Elphie's touch welled up inside her so suddenly.

The blonde didn't know why she did it, but she looked at the empty bowl of stew that sat on the nightstand, a brow rising wonderingly. She admitted to herself that the stew _did _taste a little odd, but she waved it off to her hunger. She then lifted a finger to trace her lips, remembering the way Elphaba had kissed her back with such love and devotion that she couldn't even begin to express how much she had missed her Elphie.

Glinda's heart started to race in anticipation of what was to come after her green-skinned love came back. She clutched at the sheets around her, wishing Elphaba didn't have to leave her in this state of raw need. She let out a heavy moan and stared longingly at the door.

_Oh, Elphie,_ she thought, feeling the familiar tingle of her arousal surging through her body. _Come back, baby._ _I need you._

_I need you _so _much. _

***

Zafryna opened the doors to the Infirmary just as someone let out a piercing scream. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and shakily she entered the crowded room, wondering who had screamed.

"Oh, Lady Zafryna, there you are," a voice breathed from her right. A rather large woman appeared out of the crowd of wounded soldiers, carrying a bag of medicinal supplies. "Hold this for me, will you?"

Zafryna couldn't help but accept the bag that was shoved into her hands as the nurse hurriedly left to go attend to the soldier who had screamed earlier. Zafryna followed her to his bedside, her eyes opening wide at the sight that greeted her.

It was a bloody mess. The soldier had acquired numerous scratches around his arms and legs, which were wrapped in bandages that were vainly trying to stop the blood from flowing out of the wounds. The worse scratches however, were on his face. If this solider had once been a handsome man, he would have no physical evidence of it after his wounds healed.

"Be a man and stop that childish screaming," the nurse told him firmly before applying a sort of ointment to a nasty scratch right above his eye. The man let out a gurgled scream and Zafryna had to bite her lip in order to stop from retching at the gruesomeness of it all.

"Lady Zafryna, hand me the bag please,"

Zafryna barely registered that the nurse was talking to her until the bag was being taken out of her hands with a huff from the large woman.

"Honestly, my lady," the nurse said gruffly. "I thought you would have paid more attention."

"I-I'm sorry," stammered Zafryna. The soldier let out a mangled choke as the nurse unceremoniously shoved a needle into his bare shoulder.

"Do you really need to be _that _rash with him, nurse?" Zafryna asked her as the white-clothed woman took the needle out and wiped her bloody hands on a rag she had produced from the bag.

"If I weren't rash, then these big babies would never learn how to grow up and take the pain," the nurse said simply. "Now if you will excuse me, my lady—"

Zafryna backed away to avoid the crazed nurse as she charged to another cot, where she could see the soldier in it groaning in agony. Zafryna shook her head and made her way through the crowded Infirmary, careful not to bump into any of the men who were waiting for medical attention.

It was hard to avoid them as they begged for her to stop and tend to their wounds, but she needed to get to the captain and to whatever he had to say to her. In what seemed to be years but in reality it was only a few minutes, Zafryna finally saw the captain standing by a window, his right arm in a sling.

The captain turned his head towards the younger girl and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't mean to be rude with you, Lady Zafryna," he said, "but what the hell just happened to us?"

Zafryna looked around, feeling her already sinking heart dip just a little bit lower. "The Wizard had finally decided to make an appearance at the most unfortunate time," she told him.

"Why is it you that I have to refer to? Where is her Highness?" the captain asked her.

"Mel—I mean the Great Witch had to make a rather urgent trip to the Ruby City," Zafryna said, her practiced words easily rolling off her tongue. "It seems there had been a disturbance of some kind over there."

"And she left you in charge?" the captain asked. "Where are your sisters?"

Zafryna had to use all her restraint to keep herself from rolling her emerald green eyes. Why was the captain asking her all these questions? "I believe I am the oldest sibling out of my sisters, _captain_," she said simply. "I think I should have the authority while the Great Witch is gone. Why do you ask all these questions? Do you doubt my capability of leadership, captain?"

Her accusing tone visibly shook the captain, but he quickly regained composure. "Of course not, Lady Zafryna," he said. "It's that I just couldn't help but feel that this could have been prevented somehow."

"It _couldn't_ have been prevented," Zafryna stressed. "The Wizard had chosen the time that it was most convenient for him to attack—"

"One of my men told me that the Wizard had wanted entrance to the Red Palace in order to speak with the Great Witch," the captain said. "If he would have known she was gone then he wouldn't have attacked. He had another motive."

"How do you expect me to know all of this, captain?" Zafryna asked him, her voice getting a bit shriller than she intended it to be. "I was just as surprised as you are. We could only now recuperate and figure out the details later. The Wizard had been shot and it is only a matter of time before he could come back and strike at us again."

"Which brings me to my next point," said the captain. "It will take more than just a few days for my men to recover from this attack and if the Wizard should decide to return with those vicious Animals of his, we have no hope to win that fight."

Zafryna looked at the ground under her, understanding the poignancy of the captain's words. Her head started to hurt and she wished that she could just lie down and sleep, but she knew she had responsibilities to take care of.

"Lady Zafryna…?" the captain asked her, clearly expecting a response from the yellow-skinned woman.

"I'm sorry," Zafryna said, lifting her head to look at the captain once again. "I understand the graveness of this situation, captain, but I'm afraid I have no solution to offer except to just wait and see."

"When will her Highness be coming back?" the captain asked her, tilting his head to the side and fixing the sling with his good arm.

"I wish I knew," Zafryna growled, more to herself than to the captain. She knew Melena had to come back to Zo soon, or else something even worse will happen. Snapping her fingers, she figured out what she needed to do.

She needed to go after Melena and bring her back to Zo. With or without Bolynda.

"Captain," she addressed to the man, who looked up at her curiously. "It seems I have just figured out what to do. I have no time to explain, but if you will allow me to borrow your patience for just a few more hours I will make it up to you."

The captain's brow rose in suspicion. "What do you mean? Are you planning on going also?"

"I can't tell you that," Zafryna said. "But someone will stay with you all while I am gone."

"Is it one of your sisters?" the captain asked her.

Zafryna blinked and nodded, thinking of Elphaba. "Well, technically, yes. You wouldn't recognize her as my sister, though."

_It was such a convenience that Elphaba had arrived just in time so she could take over my position, _she thought. _She basically _is _a daughter of the Great Witch, so I'm not really breaking any rules by leaving. _

Zafryna smiled at her logic._ It's just too perfect._

The captain looked utterly confused. "But, Lady Zafryna—"

Zafryna didn't give him time to finish as she whipped around and exited the Infirmary, leaving the captain to sort through his whirling thoughts alone.


	54. Chapter 54

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They make me so happy. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 54

Frynda jumped back as a plank of flaming wood came raining down from the ceiling above. She was almost out of the burning Hospital and the girl in her arms was starting to get heavy as exhaustion started to catch up with her.

_I've got to get out of here,_ she thought desperately.

Looking around, she spotted an opening where the light of the sun outside shone though. She smiled to herself and made her way towards it, glad that this has ended so easily.

Then again, nothing was easy for Frynda.

Her hopes were dashed when a large shard of smoldering wood fell right between Frynda and her escape, setting the whole entrance ablaze. The red-skinned girl let out a curse and turned around, searching frantically for another means of escape.

The girl in her arms started to come round, disturbed by all of jostling around Frynda's jerky movements was doing to her. The small brunette looked up at her rescuer, confusion etched across her pale—yet strangely pretty—features.

"Who are you?" she asked meekly, so soft that Frynda barely even noticed she had spoken to her. It was when she felt the presence of violet eyes looking so intently at her that she knew the girl had awoken.

"What did you say?" Frynda asked her. "I didn't quite catch what you said earlier."

"I asked who you were," the girl replied, her feeble voice a little more firmer than last time.

"Right now?" Frynda didn't even bother to look down at the girl in her arms as she continued to move through the Hospital. "Well, right now I'm your savior. This building's burning to the ground and we've got to get out of here as soon as I can find the exit."

The girl then couldn't help but bury herself deeper into Frynda's protective grip, even though the red girl was a complete stranger. Frynda's red skin wasn't what had fazed the younger girl, however, it was the mere fact that she was in the girl's arms at all. The last thing the brunette remembered was falling asleep in her hospital bed and waking up to a choking cloud of smoke.

The brunette then noticed her 'savior' was taking her the wrong way. Instead of leading her out of the Hospital, Frynda was carrying her further _into_ it.

"Hey," the girl whispered to Frynda, gently tugging on the white robe that covered her surprisingly warm chest. "Hey, you."

Frynda paused in her frantic searching to look down at her. "What?" she asked breathlessly, the desperation evident in her voice.

"You're going the wrong way. The exit's the other way."

Frynda wanted to slap herself if the girl hadn't been in her arms. "Oh. Right. Of course."

The girl could only close her eyes as Frynda did a complete about-face and started heading the opposite direction, the smoke starting to penetrate her frail lungs. She let out a series of hacking coughs as they rounded a corner.

"This is getting me nowhere," Frynda impatiently growled to herself as she came to yet_ another_ dead end. A feeling like ice crawled down her back as she heard the ominous sound of creaking and splintering wood around her. "By the Named God," she breathed to herself, officially panicking now.

"Go into the hall to the left, miss," the girl in her arms whispered. She had been following Frynda's progress through the narrow slits of her eyes. "There's a door that should have an 'exit' sign or something on it."

Frynda raised a brow but silently followed the girl's instructions, practically flying down the hallway that was to her left and coming to a complete stop at a door, just like the girl had said. The problem was, however, that there was no 'exit' sign at the door.

"Are you sure this is it?" Frynda asked her worriedly, her rapidly beating heart thumping against her chest. She was sure the girl in her arms could feel it if not _hear_ it too.

"I'm pretty sure," the girl whispered, her words only coming out in wheezes.

Frynda looked over her shoulder but saw nothing but a black cloud of smoke. She let out a cough and kicked at the door, but to her dismay, it was locked.

"Oh what the hell!" she screamed, giving the bolted door a few more kicks. She was starting to grow frustrated with the whole situation. If she just would have gone right outside and not tried to be a hero…

The girl in her arms let out a series of gut-wrenching coughs, breaking the red-skinned girl out of her thoughts.

_I needed to rescue her_, Frynda thought as she once again tried to kick at the door_. I can't let someone die like that…not if _I_ can help it._

"Don't you think you need these?"

The sudden voice almost made Frynda drop the girl in her surprise. She turned around to come face-to-face with a dirty-looking Gorilla, her lab coat caked with grime and ashes from the fire looming behind her. A set of keys dangled from her large fingers and Frynda couldn't help but let out a cry of relief.

"I followed you out," the Gorilla said as she brushed past Frynda and fumbled with the lock. "I had thought you were one of my patients because of the hospital garment you wear, but when I saw your red skin I guessed not."

Frynda just kept silent as the Gorilla continued to fiddle with the keys and lock, occasionally cursing under her breath.

"Where is that damn _key_?" the Gorilla hissed to herself. "I knew I should have labeled them—"

A click then sounded and not a moment too soon. The walls started to cave in just as the trio rushed out of the Hospital, covering their heads as the wood came raining down on them like a downpour.

Frynda nearly dropped the terrified girl as she stumbled into the clear day, the Gorilla right at her heels. She heard the Hospital crumble behind her and the ragged breaths of the Gorilla behind her as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

"By the Named God!" she heard the Gorilla call out and Frynda stopped right in her tracks, slowly turning around to see the Gorilla fall to her knees, tears streaking down her furry, black face as she took in the sight of her beloved Hospital smoldering on the ground before her.

"My Hospital!" the Gorilla wailed. "My life's work…ruined!"

Frynda felt her heart sink at the Gorilla's desperate tone. She looked down at the girl in her arms. Her eyes were closed, meaning she had either fallen asleep or lost consciousness again. She then heard the faraway voices. She turned to see the Wizard's convoy start to move, no doubt in search of another doctor to help cure the Wizard.

Frynda let out a sigh. _I guess we can never win_, she thought dismally.

Frynda stared at the mourning Gorilla for a few moments before timidly walking up to her, not sure whether or not to bother her.

"Uh…"

Suddenly the Gorilla's head snapped up to look at the obviously uncomfortable girl above her. The Animal doctor slowly got up from her knees and wiped her tears away with the back of a big furry hand.

"I-I'm sorry," the Gorilla apologized, sniffing. She then gestured to her patient on Frynda's arms. "Here, let me get her. You look exhausted."

Frynda wasn't sure whether or not to trust the doctor, but she figured since she was a doctor after all…

The red-skinned girl handed the unconscious girl to the Gorilla, who cradled her easily as if she was a baby. Frynda couldn't help but breathe a sigh as her arms were relieved of their burden.

The small girl let out a moan as she buried herself deeper into the doctor's dirty, white lab coat. Frynda saw that the Gorilla's golden nameplate read 'Dr. Yanz' and her brow rose in recognition. She has heard of a certain Dr. Yanz a few years earlier when she was still tucked away in the Red Palace.

"Do I know you…?" Dr. Yanz suddenly asked the young girl, her brown eyes narrowly as she studied her. Her eyes then blinked as she recognized the red-skinned girl.

"Of course! I should have recognized the peculiar red skin!" Dr. Yanz said. "You must be Frynda! Her Highness's daughter!"

Frynda blushed, still unused to the attention that her mother's title gave her. "Y-yes, doctor…"

"Oh, please, call me Dr. Yanz," the Gorilla said, baring her teeth in a way that resembled a smile. "I wish we could have met in a better circumstance, but I feel as if we need to get out of here soon. I'm afraid the Wizard has discovered the location…well, the_ past_ location of my Hospital."

"I know," Frynda said, her voice small. She glanced at the girl in Dr. Yanz's arms and the Gorilla followed her gaze.

"She must have breathed in too much smoke," Dr, Yanz murmured, more to herself than to Frynda. "And her lungs were already frail enough…"

She then looked up at the obviously concerned Frynda. "She's one of my longer-term patients," Dr. Yanz explained to her. "Her name is Kora. I fear that if I don't get her to a proper facility soon, she…she might not make it. All the equipment I had used to keep her breathing in check had been burned in the fire."

Frynda's heart practically stopped when the doctor told her the very grim news. The red-skinned girl panicked and stammered, "B-But can't you help her now?"

"I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker," Dr. Yanz said seriously.

Frynda raked her mind for possible solutions but only one surfaced that looked halfway doable. She needed to get both Dr. Yanz and Kora to the Red Palace where she was sure the Infirmary would have the necessary equipment in order to take care of the obviously delicate girl.

But the Red Palace seemed so far away and Kora only had so much time.

_Oh no,_ Frynda thought to herself feverishly, holding her forehead as her head started to ache uncomfortably._ What am I going to do?_

***

"Eleka garthen dormtae!"

Bolynda stared intently at Razaf's unmoving form after what seemed like the hundredth time she had tried waking him up with her magic. She let out a low moan of frustration and threw herself on top of the unconscious man, wanting to kill herself for being so inept at magic.

"I'm such an idiot," she mumbled into Razaf's green uniform. "I should have listened to my mother. She was right. How could I be so damn _stupid?!_"

"You're not stupid."

The voice made her freeze. The blue-skinned girl hesitantly looked down at Razaf, feeling her heart fluttering inside her chest. Could it be…? Has he…?

"Stop looking at me like that, Bo. Actually…I much rather you don't. You look so pretty like that."

Bolynda couldn't stop herself as she bent down to kiss Razaf for all he's worth. The man was obviously surprised at her bold move, but he felt himself return the kiss, his hand reaching up to stroke the black hair that cascaded around them.

After what seemed like an eternity, they parted, breathless.

Bolynda looked down at Razaf, feeling his brilliant green eyes penetrate through hers in such a way that made her already frantic heart skip a beat.

"Razaf," she whispered to him. "I thought I had lost you."

Razaf gave her a boyish grin and moved his hand away from her hair to cup her blue-skinned cheek. "You can't get rid of me _that _easily, Bo."

Bolynda smiled and kissed him again, feeling tears start to swim in her eyes both out of her happiness and relief. She felt the sparks fly in her head when Razaf deepened the kiss, her mouth opening to grant entrance to his waiting tongue.

Razaf chuckled when they finally ended the kiss, feeling himself quite lightheaded from being kissed by the beautiful blue-skinned witch above him. "I guess that means you love me too," he whispered to her, looking deep into her ice blue eyes.

"You don't know how much," Bolynda exhaled softly and brought him in for another intricate kiss, feeling like she could never get enough of Razaf's tender—yet electrifying—kisses. What had she been thinking when she had said she loved Fiyero?

The way Razaf made her feel was something so extraordinary that she couldn't even begin to describe it. It felt as if she could float away and never come back down. "Razaf, I love you," she whispered to him after the kiss.

Razaf then took her hands between both of his, feeling the way she trembled with emotion. He looked deep into her blue eyes and replied with all the conviction he could muster, "Bolynda, I love you too."

Bolynda, her heart feeling like it was soaring to the heavens, opened her mouth to reply but a sudden pounding on the door interrupted her. She let out a frustrated sigh, knowing it was Fiyero who had ruined their moment of confession.

Giving Razaf one last, light peck on the lips, she turned around and opened the door to the janitor's closet.

Fiyero was outside, his hair disheveled and his blue eyes opened wide in fear, as if he had just seen a ghost.

Bolynda noticed this. "Fiyero, what's wrong?" she asked him.

"Bolynda, we have to leave," he said quickly, looking over her shoulder to Razaf, who was slowly rising out of the small cot. "It seems you were wrong."

Bolynda was getting annoyed now. "What do you mean I was wrong?"

Fiyero looked straight into her eyes as he replied,

"Morrible's still alive."

***

"Oh, Elphie!"

Elphaba held her trembling blonde lover as she brought her down from a rather intense climax. She softly kissed her sweaty forehead and felt her ragged breathing against her bare shoulder.

"El-Elphie," Glinda started to stammer before her green love shushed her with a quick kiss to her lips.

"Shh, my sweet," Elphaba whispered to her. "Now is not the time for words."

Glinda gave her a smile before kissing her, trying to convey all of her passion in that one solitary gesture. She moved her hands all around the green body she had memorized over and over again, tracing over every small contour and finally landing on that spot that drove Elphaba crazy.

"Glinda," was all the green woman uttered, her voice husky.

"Shh, my love," the blonde whispered in her ear before starting her shameless lovemaking to her Elphie.

"Now is not the time for words."

***

Zafryna was about to knock on the door to the guest bedroom where she was sure Elphaba would be located when she heard something rather…peculiar. Her expert hearing caught the faint sounds of heavy breathing coming from within the room.

Her brows knitting together in confusion, the yellow-skinned woman dared to turn her head and press her ear against the wooden door.

_What in Zo…?_ she thought as she heard shuffling and shifting of bed sheets. Her emerald eyes then opened as wide as twin moons as she realized what she was eavesdropping to.

Hearing Glinda's squeak of her lover's name was all Zafryna needed to do a complete about-face and head back down the hall, her yellow-skinned face turning a deep orange in embarrassment.

***

Melena wasn't sure if she was going to make it to the Emerald City. She felt her body becoming steadily weaker as she followed the Yellow Brick Road. She could feel Hazel, who she now named 'her horse', start to grow wearier from their desperate plight across the yellow bricks.

Melena felt sorry for the mare, but now was not the time for pity. She needed to get to Bolynda—and fast. If what she had heard was true, there could be nothing good from her blue-skinned daughter as the Magic Grand Vizier.

_Magic Grand Vizier?_ Melena thought incredulously. _Bolynda barely even knows how to cast a spell, let alone handle an entire _land's_ magical affairs!_

She gritted her teeth as she remembered what she had seen in Zafryna's crystal ball before she had left Zo. She recalled seeing the bulky shape of Madame Morrible's fishy face in the glass's hazy image.

_Morrible must be desperate in order to incorporate my magically handicapped daughter into Oz's government_, she thought.

She knew she was in the wrong to think ill of her daughter that way, but she had always known Bolynda would not become the witch Melena had trained her to be. The blue-skinned girl had never paid any attention in their lessons and when it came to actually use her magic, Bolynda would disappear out of sight, as if she had casted a Disappearing Spell on herself.

Melena briefly wondered if that was the case, but she shook her head. _Bolynda and magic are like oil and water, _she thought. _They just don't fit well together. That's how the little brat got into this mess in the first place._

Her clouded thoughts were interrupted as she caught sight of the glowing lights of the Emerald City. She felt a wave of nostalgia hit as she remembered those times when she had to visit the famous city either out of necessity or leisure. When she had been a student at Shiz, she had always loved to stroll down the green avenues and shop in the myriad of boutiques and accessory stores.

_Now there is no time for such foolish endeavors_, she thought, feeling a little disgusted at the airheaded socialite she had been all those years ago. Then she felt Hazel slow down underneath her and she patted the brown mare's neck.

"That's it girl," Melena said, feeling that it was appropriate to say that to a horse even though she had never had a minute of training in her life. Hazel slowed down to a canter, her nostrils flaring as she tried to regain her breath. She might not have been a Horse, but she was smart enough to know what her new master wanted. Hazel has been to Emerald City before with the officials from Munchkinland, but never like this. Not with someone so inexperienced on her back.

Melena watched as they approached the tell-tale jade-colored gates of the Emerald City. For some reason, she felt hesitant.

She was not sure how she did it, but she managed to convey to Hazel to veer off to the side of the Yellow Brick Road and stop near a particularly tall patch of grass. The mare let out a nicker as Melena carefully slid from her back, feeling the wound on her abdomen throb more than ever before.

"Damn this stupid wound," Melena breathed, clutching unto Hazel's shoulder for support. The horse whinnied in response, not quite understanding why her rider was feeling so ill all of the sudden.

Looking down at the hands gripping the brown-furred shoulder, Melena grimaced. She could see the cracks on her pale skin getting worse. Peels of skin have been flaking off and now exposed the aged olive-colored skin she should have had if she had aged properly.

"I can't go into the Emerald City looking like I just come out of a crypt," Melena told herself, stepping away from Hazel. She watched as the horse trotted away to nibble a patch of grass nearby. The older woman let out a deep breath and felt the now familiar throb of her wound as she did so.

As Melena thought to herself of possible solutions, she noticed pierces of her skin fly away as the wind blew around her. The sky above her looked as if it was about to rain and she silently cursed herself. The last thing she needed was rain.

"I'm going to have to go back to an old habit," Melena said and closed her eyes as the all-too-familiar words came into her mind. She was going to cast the Transformation Spell on herself for the last time.

"Transforma santira elira," she whispered, waving her hands in a figure-eight motion above her head. She felt the tingling sensation of her magic weave itself into her skin. She saw the unsightly cracks lining her arms starting to recede and she couldn't help but smile to herself.

_That's much better,_ she started to think but cried out as a wave of pain rushed onto her all of a sudden, causing her to fall towards the ground in a heap. She let out a scream of agony, clutching at her stomach. The pale woman had never experienced such an intense pain and she figured no one else ever had. It was as if her body was being completely torn apart by both ends.

"F-Fuck," hissed Melena, her curse coming out in short gasps. She bit her lip from crying out again, for fear of attracting any unwanted attention from passersby who happened to be traveling to the Emerald City. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Hazel warily walk towards her, ears flicked forward in apparent confusion and curiosity from all the noise she was making.

"Go away, girl," Melena hissed to her. She guessed this was the end for her. The pain was too much to bear and death would be better than suffering like this. The mare stood her ground, sniffing curiously at Melena's dirty clothes.

The agonized woman then felt a hot breath on her arm. She pushed the inquisitive horse's snout away, feeling a jolt of pain in doing so. She grunted and rolled over, glad that the tall grass surrounding her prevented her from being seen in this rather embarrassing situation.

_C'mon, Melena, get up,_ she told herself. _This was to be expected. You have abused your body so much that this was bound to happen one day. You can't give up now. Bolynda is still out there. _

On shaky legs she managed to stand up, using all her strength just to keep herself from crying out loud in pain. Unaware of what she was doing, Melena reached out and grabbed Hazel's shoulder for support, the mare giving a surprised nicker at her master's rash gesture.

"By the Named God," Melena hissed to herself, trying to regain her footing. "This is worse than giving birth."

Hazel just gave her another nicker and touched her snout to the pale woman's shoulder, eliciting a brief moan to escape from her dry lips. Melena gritted her teeth and turned around, half-stumbling, half-climbing onto Hazel's back. The horse, to her luck, stayed put as she attempted to posture herself the best way she could without hurting herself too much.

"Okay, Melena," she said to herself as Hazel carried her away from the shelter of the grass and unto the Yellow Brick Road again. "You've got to get inside the Emerald City now."

She tried to ignore the sharp jabs of pain that shot all through her body as she rode Hazel, but she couldn't help but give a little whine of pain every once and a while. In what seemed like forever, the pale woman could see the green glow of the gates. Her gaze took in the defined, extravagant designs on the emerald-laden gates surrounding the bustling city within them.

She then closed her gray eyes, feeling as if the weight of the world just fell on her shoulders.

_This is it,_ she thought. _It's now or never._

Holding her head a little higher than usual, she allowed Hazel to carry her towards the Emerald City gates. She didn't notice the eyes that had been watching her long before she had even came close to the gates.

It was a Gale Force guard.

And he didn't look too thrilled to see her.


	55. Chapter 55

**Hey, everyone~**

**Here's a new chapter for y'all. It has lots of Gelphie, so enjoy. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 55

"Elphie, I love you."

"I know, my sweet. I feel quite the same way."

Glinda snuggled further into Elphaba's bare chest, reveling in the body warmth that her naked, green-skinned lover provided for her. The blonde sighed softly and twirled a strand of black hair absentmindedly between her pale fingers, very aware of the fact that Elphaba was watching her intently.

"What, my love? Why do you stare at me so?" Glinda asked her, turning her head so she could gaze into those chocolate brown eyes she loved so much.

"Oh, am I not allowed to stare at you now?" Elphaba laughed, giving her forehead a quick kiss.

"That's not what I meant, silly!" Glinda giggled. "You can stare at me all you want. You're my girlfriend. But what I meant was that you are looking at me so strangely."

"We've just made love, my sweet," Elphaba explained, reaching a slender green hand to stroke those beautiful blonde curls. "How can I _not_ stare at you? I wouldn't dare stare at anything else, I hope."

Glinda sighed. "Of course not, my adorable love."

"It's just that you have this glow about you that I've never noticed before," said Elphaba. Looking more closely at her blonde lover, she could still see that tell-tale afterglow that surrounded her pale body. But there was this apparent intensity that surprised the green woman and maybe even concerned her a little.

"Oh, really?" Glinda asked her, quickly glancing down at her own body before looking back into Elphaba's thoughtful eyes. "It might just be my love for you expressing itself in a strangely physical way."

"I thought you just did that five minutes ago," Elphaba said and laughed when Glinda smacked her on the arm.

Glinda then gave her a smirk and cupped Elphaba's face between her hands. "Come here, you," she purred to her and pulled the green woman on top of her.

"Glinda, how can you possibly…after all that we did…are you sure…?"

"Just shut up and kiss me," the blonde whispered huskily and wasted no time in capturing those green lips in a kiss full of desire and passion. Elphaba greedily accepted the unexpected kiss, temporarily forgetting about the strange glow.

Glinda moaned into the kiss and wrapped her legs around Elphaba's waist, eliciting a heavy grunt from the green woman. Elphaba looked deep into her lover's blue eyes and only saw the love written there just for her to read.

"Glinda, I love you," the green witch said, meaning every single word.

"I love you too, Elphie," the blonde responded, her words coming out in a slur in her love-drunkenness. She hungrily searched out Elphaba's kiss again, but the green woman candidly avoided her, causing the blonde's brows to furrow together in apparent frustration.

"Elphie…?" Glinda was confused as to why her love wasn't responding to her advances, but Elphaba knew perfectly why. It was evident Glinda was growing weary, but it seemed the blonde just couldn't get enough of her green-skinned lover.

"Glinda, I think this is enough for one go," Elphaba told her as Glinda started to nip at the nape of her neck.

"You can manage to squeeze another one out of me, can you, Elphie?" the blonde mumbled against the green skin.

Elphaba sighed. "That's not the _point_, my sweet," the green woman said, tactically adjusting herself so that Glinda had to purposefully stretch out her body in order to keep seducing her.

Glinda then suddenly pulled back, anger flashing in her blue eyes. "Okay, now you're just frustrating me! What's wrong with you, Elphaba?"

"What's wrong is your health, Glinda," Elphaba said calmly.

"What about it?" Glinda said scathingly, her words cutting through Elphaba like a knife. "I feel fine."

"Apparently not," Elphaba said and to Glinda's immediate frustration, removed herself from on top of her lover.

"No, Elphaba!" Glinda scowled at her as the green witch proceeded to get off the bed. "Come back here!"

"Glinda, it is apparent that you are not yourself right now. Something has happened that I can't quite explain, but my intuition is acute enough to tell me that what you need now is rest."

"No, Elphie," whined Glinda, sounding like a five-year-old. "What I need now is _you_."

"Glinda, I don't want to be pulled into something your obviously frail body can't handle right now," Elphaba said. "And don't look at me like that. You know I hate it when you cry."

Glinda sniffed, the tears starting to fall down her cheeks. "I-I can't help but f-feel like y-you don't w-want me anymore! W-what did I do so wrong?" She curled up into the fetal position, wracking sobs causing her thin frame to shake violently.

Elphaba felt her heart breaking painfully as she saw her love looking so distraught. She couldn't help but walk back towards the edge of the bed and lay a hand on Glinda's back. "Of course I want you, my sweet," she said.

Glinda continued to cry, but listened nonetheless.

"And I will _always _want you," Elphaba continued. "It's just that I feel you have had enough for today. I mean…look at you, Glinda. After all that you've been through, you still want to?"

"Yes," was all Elphaba heard from the mass of blonde hair.

"Well, _I_ don't feel like you're up to it. We've already done it once. Aren't you satisfied at all?"

Glinda took her time to uncurl, turn around and look hard into her lover's eyes. There was an unfamiliar kind of sharpness in them that Elphaba has never seen before and it unnerved the green witch to no end.

"No, Elphaba," the blonde hissed. "I am not satisfied at all. And you can just leave me here unsatisfied to do whatever the hell you please. After all, it _must_ be better than making love to me."

"Glinda," groaned Elphaba. "Why are you making this so damn _difficult_ for me?"

"I can ask you the same question." Glinda stared chillingly at her obviously frustrated lover, daring her to respond. "I have already told you that I feel strong enough to do this, Elphaba. Why can't you trust me to know my own body?"

Elphaba leveled her glare as she said, "Because it has already happened once, Glinda. I don't want it to happen again. Ever."

Glinda let out an irritated sigh and sat up, wrapping the bed sheets around her naked body. She suddenly looked as if she was several years older than she actually was. "Elphie," she whispered and looked up into Elphaba's brown eyes. "I've just missed you so much."

Elphaba quickly went over to sit by Glinda and took her pale hands into her green ones. "And I've missed you too, my sweet, but you have to trust me when I say you're not quite ready for this."

"I am _too_," the blonde argued.

"Glinda," Elphaba warned her, casting a knowing look her direction. "I said—"

"Who knows if you're going to be gone the next moment I open my eyes, Elphaba?" Glinda suddenly blurted out, causing the green witch to startle momentarily. "It has already happened too much for me to possibly handle. Elphaba, I need you here. With me. Right now."

Elphaba let out a sigh at her lover's pleading tone. She then gazed deep into those entrancing blue eyes and said as steadily as she could muster, "But I_ am_ here now, Glinda. I won't leave you."

"Promise?" asked the blonde, her voice small.

Elphaba's face darkened. "You know I can't do that anymore. Glinda, there is danger lurking all around this strange land and you know it. I can't afford to make promises I can't keep."

"But Elphie…"

"But I c_an _make this one," Elphaba whispered and leaned close to Glinda until she could feel her lover's hot breath on her face. "Glinda Upland, I promise that I will love you forever and ever."

Glinda gave a nervous giggle and cupped Elphaba's cheek, feeling happy tears start to well up in her eyes. "That's a hefty promise," she softly told the beautiful green woman. She felt Elphaba give a chuckle as a green hand wrapped itself around her pale one.

"And one I intend to keep until the day I die," Elphaba said truthfully.

Glinda sniffed, her emotions running haywire. She wished she could stay in this moment forever. The pure adoration she saw in Elphaba's eyes moved her to such a degree that she couldn't formulate a coherent sentence without blubbering all over herself like the lovesick fool she was.

"Can I kiss you now?" Glinda asked her love softly, wanting so bad to throw herself around Elphaba and overwhelm her with affection.

Elphaba raised a brow, but nodded. "Of course."

In the only way a lover could, Glinda brought Elphaba's face closer to hers, capturing those green lips in a fierce embrace. The kiss deepened considerably and Glinda slowly leaned backwards unto the bed, bringing Elphaba down with her.

"Glinda," moaned Elphaba as Glinda pressed herself against her, sending sparks of arousal coursing throughout her body. "Glinda, I thought we have made it clear—"

Glinda looked pleadingly at her lover, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. "Baby,_ please_."

Elphaba stared at her for a second. She then gave her a small smile, her brown eyes glinting. "Your wish is my command, my sweet."

Glinda's eyes then sparkled with the surprise turnaround of events. She hurriedly went to nip under Elphaba's ear, using her tongue to carefully tease her lover's arousal spot. Hearing her love's soft moan in response; Glinda continued her trail of kisses down Elphaba's jaw line then around her neck, not giving a second thought to the increasing weariness she was feeling all over her body.

"Oh Oz, Glinda," Elphaba moaned heavily, gritting her teeth.

"Yes, Elphie," the blonde murmured, breathing hotly on her lover's green neck. "_That's _what I like to hear."

Unfortunately, what Glinda _didn't_ hear was Elphaba's hushed whispers of magic as the green woman traced her hands all over the blonde's taut stomach, making patterns on the pale skin. She knew it was wrong to trick her love like this, but the green witch knew there was no other way. The Sleeping Spell came easily out of her moving lips and she briefly wondered why she hadn't used magic in the first place.

Glinda suddenly felt very tired and she let out a yawn. "E-Elphie," she slurred against Elphaba's skin. She felt her lover's light touch on her collarbone and she stretched her neck to allow further access. She nearly cried out in ecstasy as Elphaba ran her tongue sensually around the sensitive area on her neck.

"Mm, Elphie," breathed Glinda, feeling the familiar onslaught of sensations all throughout her body. She reached out to take Elphaba's hand, which had been shyly kept out of sight. She gently placed it on her breast, all the while capturing her love's lips in a heated kiss.

Elphaba opened an eye to look at her own green hand that Glinda had placed so conspicuously on her breast. Her mind whirled as she felt the blonde's tongue most nearly slide down her own throat. Shouldn't the Sleeping Spell have been working by now?

"My sweet," Elphaba whispered into Glinda's ear as the pair shifted around on the bed. To Elphaba's immediate dismay, Glinda happened to be in a more dominant position, having pinned her green lover to the bed by her hands and waist. The blonde straddled Elphaba almost at once, reveling in the fact that this new position gave a whole new level to her already heightened state of arousal.

"I've got you now, my love," Glinda purred teasingly, delighted in the fact that she had her usually dominant lover subordinated. She bent down and began to kiss her, allowing herself to lie against every inch of that green skin. She felt Elphaba take a sharp intake of breath and the blonde smiled at herself, knowing she had brought Elphaba to her knees…well, figuratively of course.

Elphaba knew she couldn't hold her resolve for much longer. She was frustrated that her magic didn't seem to work against Glinda, but at the same time she was glad she didn't have to betray her love like this.

_Maybe it's for the best,_ she thought as Glinda's hands roamed all over their green-skinned territory that was Elphaba's body. _Maybe Glinda isn't as frail as I had originally thought—_

Just as she was thinking that, she felt Glinda's weight start to shift forwards into her chest and before she knew it, Glinda had fallen asleep right on top of her. Her soft snores tickled in Elphaba's ear and the green woman could not help but give a sigh of relief. However, she was still quite sexually aroused and the warm weight on her was just adding to her dilemma.

_Great, _now_ you fall asleep,_ Elphaba thought bitterly, but then her mouth curved up into a small smile. She reached up to stroke Glinda's hair, feeling the blonde curls twirl perfectly around her slender, green fingers as if they were sized just for her.

"I'm sorry, my sweet, but I had to do what I had to do," Elphaba whispered softly into her lover's ear, which was pressed close to her breast. Glinda's hand twitched at the sound of the smooth voice in her ear, but the Sleeping Spell had done its job and knocked her out, as it should for another three hours or so.

Carefully Elphaba pushed Glinda off her, quite sad that she had to remove herself out of her sleeping lover's grasp. Glinda let out a series of incoherent mumblings at this, but she was soon quieted down as Elphaba crudely bunched up a bunch of bed sheets and placed them in the blonde's arms. She knew they couldn't replace the warmth of a body for long, but it had to do…for now.

Elphaba let out a heavy sigh and watched her love sleep for a few minutes, gently tracing her fingers over the pale arms that grasped the bed sheets as if the blonde's life depended on them. The green witch spotted the goose bumps that her fingers left behind and she heard the soft giggles that accompanied them.

"Oh, Elphie," Glinda mumbled into the bed sheets, her pale face breaking out into an adorable smile that made Elphaba swoon. The green woman held fast, however, as she gently tucked her love into the bed and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Fresh dreams, my sweet," Elphaba whispered in her ear. "I shall see you when you are fully rested and ready for round two." She smiled despite herself. It seemed the arousal she had been feeling had a strange, lingering effect and for once Elphaba was glad it was there. It helped keep her wicked sense of humor despite having just lied to the one person she should never have to lie to in the first place.

Reluctantly she left the bedside and looked around for her clothes, which had been hastily discarded to the side in her throes of passion with Glinda. Quickly she spotted them near the nightstand, which still held the two, discarded bowls of stew. Hers was half empty and she admitted to herself that it had not tasted quite like Glinda had portrayed it to be.

She gathered up her black clothes in her arms as she contemplated the past few minutes with her lover. Sure it had been a rather_ nice_ few minutes, but she could not help but feel that something had been altered…that something had been added to the mix that should not have been there in the first place.

As if by instinct, she reached out to take Glinda's empty bowl. She placed it under her nose and took a few sniffs. She raised a brow and then smelled her own bowl, quickly noticing the difference between the two.

_These two smell different_, Elphaba growled to herself. Smelling Glinda's bowl again, she crinkled her nose in disgust. _Glinda's stew had been tampered with, _she thought angrily.

"Damn it," Elphaba cursed under her breath. She slammed the bowl down on the nightstand, her nostrils flaring in her obvious rage. She had half a mind to march downstairs and confront Zafryna about this, but something held her back.

She looked back at the bed where she could see Glinda shift around in her sleep. It seemed whatever she was dreaming about was quite physical. In the brief year she had shared a bed with the blonde, Elphaba only knew _too_ well what her love was dreaming about.

_I can't believe Zafryna let this happen to her_, Elphaba thought, shifting her focus back to the current problem. _Inett, that stupid girl, must have slipped something in there when Zafryna wasn't looking, or worse…Zafryna did it herself. _

Elphaba shivered, not wanting to think of her usually placid yellow-skinned sister doing such a heinous crime.

She decided she will at least _try_ to ask Zafryna as to why this happened, but she knew she wouldn't get too far with words. However, Elphaba, being the overprotective woman that she was, would only let her temper get the best of her and if she was angry enough, Zafryna wouldn't last too long.

"Just calm down, Elphaba," the green woman told herself, trying to quell the rising anger welling in the pit of her stomach. "Zafryna couldn't have deliberately wanted to poison your girlfriend. Calm down."

Elphaba then let out an animalistic snarl, wanting to throw something out of pure frustration. "How _can_ I calm down?!" she told herself. "My girlfriend is drugged, and quite possibly _poisoned!_"

She didn't know who did it, but she knew that _somebody_ had to pay.

And pay dearly.

After hastily throwing her clothes on, Elphaba ran her fingers through her long, black hair. She looked at herself in the mirror by the bed and she groaned at the sight. Despite her attempt to appear at least halfway decent, she still looked like she hadn't bothered to use proper hygiene in weeks.

Furrowing her brows, she saw her reflection smirk back at her. Her eyes were alight with the fire of anger and she couldn't help but think of her appearance as one of a mad woman.

_I might as well _be_ a mad woman, _she thought. _It's not like I have nothing to be happy about right now._

Without further hesitation, she headed for the door of the room. As she reached for the handle on the door, she stopped. The green woman looked over her shoulder at the bed. Glinda was still sleeping, her face now in that goofy grin she could only recognize as one of pure content.

"Goodbye, my sweet," Elphaba whispered to her. "I will see you soon."

She left, closing the door behind her. Clenching her fists at her sides, she stalked down the hall to where she could hear Zafryna's voice float from downstairs. The sound of her sister's smooth voice enraged her even more and when she practically flew down the stairs, she was totally unprepared for the sight that greeted her.

It seemed Frynda was back…

…and she didn't come alone.


	56. Chapter 56

**Okay, so I decided to update early just because I can. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 56

"Frynda!"

A sharp yank on the young girl's arm brought her back to reality.

Dr. Yanz stared up at Frynda, a serious glint in her brown eyes. "Frynda, are not paying attention to a single word I'm saying! We need to find a way to help Kora breathe again! I would try mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but—"

"She's not breathing?!" Frynda squeaked, hating herself for spacing out at the most inappropriate time. She had apparently missed that the Gorilla had set the unconscious girl on the ground and was now trying to pump air into her lungs with quick, thrusting motions on her chest.

"I'll do that!"

Before Dr. Yanz knew what was happening, Frynda pushed her off Kora and took over her spot in trying to revive the poor girl. Frynda didn't knew why she did it (she wasn't even a doctor), but she knew that she would have better success since the Gorilla beside her looked as if she was about to faint with exhaustion.

"C'mon, Kora," growled Frynda, desperately pumping at the girl's chest. Kora seemed scarily pale underneath her grip and her lips were turning an ugly shade of purple.

"Frynda, you need to give her your own oxygen," Dr. Yanz said, her voice small. "I would do it myself, but there's just something with Animals and humans—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Frynda hissed and without warning, she bent down and placed her mouth smack dab on Kora's. It felt strange, kissing an unconscious person like this, but she knew it was only necessary.

Dr. Yanz lifted a brow at the sight of the red-skinned girl practically throwing herself on Kora. "Frynda, you have to pinch her nose or this will not work!" she told her quickly and Frynda broke away from Kora, suddenly feeling very light-headed and surprisingly…giddy.

"What?" Frynda slurred, barely taking notice that the Gorilla had spoken to her.

"Her nose…!"

"Oh, right!" Frynda cried and hurriedly pinched the girl's nose. She once again breathed into the unconscious girl's mouth, feeling her head literally skyrocket into the air at the sensation. She felt Kora's chest rise as she blew into her mouth, praying to every god that she knew to help her save the unconscious girl.

"Now press against her chest like earlier, Frynda," Dr. Yanz said as she started to get up from the ground. "Good, now I'm going to go and find help. She should be fine in a minute or two just as long as you're there to help her breathe."

"Mm-hm," was all Frynda said as she bent down to blow another lungful of air into Kora's body. She felt the smaller girl's chest surge upwards as it filled with precious air. Frynda blew until she was sure she was blue in the face (or whatever color her skin would turn when oxygen-deprived).

As the sound of Dr. Yanz's heavy footsteps faded into the distance, Frynda noticed Kora's chest starting to rise and fall on their own accord. _She's breathing!_ the red-skinned girl thought happily. She was glad that she was able to save the still-unconscious girl, adding to her already growing sense of heroism. Now it was just a matter of getting her to a proper hospital so she could get the treatment she needed so badly.

Moving herself away from Kora, Frynda wiped her hand against her mouth, blushing at the way she had practically kissed the other girl.

_It was necessary_, she thought to herself. She then briefly wondered how it would have felt like to kiss Glinda, even though she knew she would never get the chance. For some odd reason, Frynda had believed the blonde's lips would have been as soft as they appeared to be, but when she had kissed Kora, those thoughts had been quickly diminished. There was absolutely _no way_ in Zo that anyone would have lips softer than the girl lying just a few feet away from her.

Frynda's blush grew deeper at the mere thought of Kora actually awake to kiss her back. She had barely met the smaller girl, let alone already have a full-blown crush on her!

_Control yourself, will you, Frynda? _The red-skinned girl thought to herself. _Just because Elphaba knows about you and Glinda does _not _mean you can just go and have a crush on another girl!_

But with a heavy sigh Frynda admitted to herself that kissing Kora had been one of the most wonderful things she had ever felt in her life, despite having to do it in order to save the recipient's life. _This is all coming to me in a rush_, Frynda thought, her head starting to spin in the overwhelming confusion.

Frynda had never kissed anything, let alone another_ person_. She had always thought she would have her first kiss underneath the moonlight with the boy of her dreams.

The problem was, however, it was clearly still day time and the person she had kissed wasn't even a _boy_.

_This was some first kiss_, she thought to herself. _Not quite what I had planned, but at least it was a benefit to _somebody_. _

And that somebody was stirring, her violet eyes fluttering open. Kora let out a soft groan and rolled over on the grass, startling the red-skinned girl out of her thoughts.

"K-Kora," Frynda stammered as the younger girl weakly turned her head towards her. The brunette's eyebrow's knitted together in apparent confusion. She attempted to sit up but Frynda hurriedly reached out a hand to stop her.

"No, don't do that," the sixteen-year-old quickly told her, making her lie flat on the grass again. "You're still too weak."

"What am I doing here?" Kora asked her. "Where am I?"

"Um—"

"But most of all," Kora added. "Who _are_ you and what are you doing in my bathrobe?"

Frynda wrung her hands together nervously. "Uh, that's a lot of questions. My name is Frynda, though you might recognize me for my red skin—"

"Nope," Kora said, tilting her head to the side.

Frynda was surprised at this but she quickly shook it off. "And well…about the bathrobe…that's a long story," she said, watching one of Kora's thin, brown brows rise in obvious amusement.

"O-okay," Kora chuckled. "And let me guess…you just saved me?"

Frynda blinked. "H-how did you know?"

"I may be crippled but I'm not stupid," said the brunette, a twinkle in her brilliant, violet eyes. "I see the Hospital burned down behind you."

Frynda gave a nervous little giggle, hating herself for how stupid she must have sounded to Kora. She thought Kora had meant the 'kiss of life' part, but as usual, she had been irrational. Kora hadn't even been _conscious_ when she had performed the resuscitation on her.

"I guess I should say thank you, then," added the younger girl lightly.

"Um…you're welcome?" Frynda said.

Kora opened her mouth to reply but then she closed it as she saw several shapes form behind Frynda. They were coming from the Blue Brick Road. She narrowed her eyes and casted a brief glare at the red-skinned girl, who blinked at the sudden hostility aimed towards her.

"Why did you have to save _her_ too?" Kora whined childishly. Frynda then turned her head to see Dr. Yanz limping over to them, followed by another, smaller shape. Shifting forwards so she could get a closer look at the stranger, Frynda soon spotted the telltale leaf skirt and flash of green skin.

Frynda's eyes opened wider as she recognized the figure.

_Mantu!_

***

"_Halt!_"

Both Melena and Hazel froze in their tracks. The brown mare let out an uneasy nicker as the Gale Force guard approached them, a rifle in his hand. He looked up at Melena, a dark look coming from underneath the brim of his hat.

"Ma'am? Your name please?"

Melena swallowed thickly and struggled to come up with a name that wouldn't give her away. She could see that the guard was obviously suspicious of her. Could he really see though the Transformation Spell and to the unsightly cracks that hid underneath?

The guard was clearly still waiting for a response. "Ma'am…?"

Melena bit her lip. "Melena—"

Before she could finish, the sound of a harsh "Oy!" filled the air and another guard came running towards them.

"Corporal Vancor, sir, what are you doing?" the second guard wheezed as he went to stand by the corporal.

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" the uniformed corporal asked him bitterly. The man called Vancor looked back at Melena, a steely glint reflecting in his brown eyes. "I'm doing my job."

"Well, will you stop harassing the passersby and hurry to Southstairs?! It seems there has been a disturbance and her Ozness was involved! Commander Rayne had sounded the alarm! Did you not hear it?!"

Both Melena and Vancor blinked in surprise.

Her_ Ozness?_ Melena thought in bewilderment. _Did he just say _her _Ozness?_

"I guess not," Vancor snarled in response to the guard's question. "Well this is just wonderful," he sighed sarcastically and fixed the rifle in his hand. "The one minute I decide to leave my post, something _has _to go awry. Damn my horrible luck."

The lower-ranking guard just looked at the corporal, then back at Melena. He noticed she looked quite odd and out of sorts and maybe just a little bit…_pale_.

"Ma'am?" he asked her questioningly as Vancor hurried away towards the direction of the Green Palace, muttering curses under his breath.

Melena snapped her head to look down at the guard, a sickening feeling forming at the pit of her stomach. Hazel let out an uneasy nicker, probably itching to get going again.

"Y-Yes?" the pale woman stammered, not sure if she was willing to suffer another close-call like the one she just had with Vancor.

"Do you need help finding your way around the Emerald City? You look terribly lost."

Melena couldn't help but blink at the guard's friendly tone. She then managed to give him a small nod. "That would be most kind of you, Master…"

"Hancrest. Just Hancrest. Now, let me assist you in dismounting your horse. I'm afraid only horses pulling carriages are allowed within the Emerald City gates."

The uniformed man held out a hand for Melena to take. She gladly took it and hopped off Hazel, trying hard not to wince as the pain in her abdomen nearly doubled from the impact of her feet hitting the ground.

"There we go," Hancrest smiled. "Now, about your horse…"

"You can just let her go," Melena replied through gritted teeth. She hoped against all odds that the Gale Force guard wouldn't notice her sudden pain. Fortunately, for her, Hancrest wasn't that intuitive.

"Excuse me?" Hancrest was obviously surprised. "You want me to…but…are you sure?"

"More than sure," Melena half whimpered, half groaned. She gave Hancrest a small smile as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, then. If you insist."

Without another word, he gently maneuvered Hazel away from them. The mare looked confused for a second and turned her big head towards Melena, twitching her ears. The pale woman motioned with her hands to go, a little sad to see the horse she had called her own leaving.

Hazel then blinked and trotted towards the edge of the Yellow Brick Road, nibbling at the sparse patches of grass on the ground. Before Melena could see what had become of the mare, Hancrest closed the emerald-colored gate and turned towards her.

"I've got to admit, that was the strangest request I have gotten from a woman." Hancrest gave her a grin an offered her his arm to take. She took it, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Kind sir, why are you bothering to help me?" Melena asked him as they started to walk through the green-lined courtyards of the bustling city. There were people clustering around them, their chatter droning endlessly in Melena's ears. She felt a little dizzy, and not just because of the gunshot wound in her stomach.

"Well, why _shouldn't_ I help you?" Hancrest answered her.

"It's just…I don't know. Your gallantry is quite…rare, if you ask me."

"I wasn't asking," laughed Hancrest. He then stole a glance at the pale woman beside him and examined her. Immediately he was entranced by her striking features. She was beautiful, in a mysterious, otherworldly sort of way.

"But can I ask you something now? How in Oz have you managed to keep your skin so stunning? Don't take this the wrong way, it's just that it's so…" Hancrest was stumbling over his words by now and Melena couldn't help but give a chuckle. This wasn't the first time that she had a man tripping over his own words.

"You're awfully bold for a man whom I've just met five minutes ago," said Melena, a smile gracing her lips. "But I'll answer your question. Magic."

Hancrest blinked for a second, and then laughed. "Hah, I know what you mean." He winked at her, obviously thinking it was a joke.

Melena just kept smiling. As they walked through the city, she couldn't help but feel waves after waves of nostalgia hit as she recognized several of the old stores and boutiques she had frequently visited when she had been a youth.

"Forgive my intrusion on your sightseeing," Hancrest said to her after a few minutes, "but it seems you are not quite yourself. Would you like to sit down and rest?"

"No, I'm fine," Melena brushed him off with a wave of her hand and a smile. "It's just that it's been quite a while since I've been here. Don't you worry, Master Hancrest, it's just a little overwhelming, that's all."

"Please, I'd appreciate it if you just call me Hancrest," the Gale Force guard said sincerely. "And I know what you mean. The Emerald City has changed a lot throughout the years. How long as it been since you've came here?"

Melena pursed her lips. "Oh, trust me. It's been a while."

"Well…" Hancrest had obviously been looking for a numerical answer. "I suppose you haven't seen the new renovations they had recently done on the Green Palace?"

Something inside of Melena clicked when Hancrest mentioned the Green Palace.

_Bolynda._

"No, it seems I haven't. Oh, I would absolutely love it if you would show me, Hancrest," Melena suddenly gushed, thinking that she might as well play into her part of tourist.

"Well, as you must have heard earlier, there has been a disturbance at the Palace, but I suppose if I take you the other way around we could avoid it…"

Melena nodded and tightened her hold on the man's arm. He looked as if he was growing uncomfortable at her close proximity in more ways than one. She gave him a convincing, yet still shy smile as she asked him,

"I'm afraid I've been a little out of it lately," Melena said. "Can you tell me who is the new Emperor or, er…Empr_ess_?"

"Well, I don't know her name as of yet," Hancrest said, "but I've got a feeling that it is someone I know. Or _used_ to know, actually."

"Oh, that's too bad," Melena said, sounding disappointed. In truth, she _was _disappointed. She had wanted to gain some information before entering into this mess that was made up the Ozian politics. "And this new Magic Grand Vizier…"

"Oh, _her?_" Hancrest scoffed. "It seems you _are_ behind, my lady. From what I've heard from my higher ranking officers, the Magic Grand Vizier has been arrested for murdering the captain of the guard."

Melena almost choked on oxygen. "She did _what?_"

"I know, I find it quite hard to believe too. This is all happening so fast that I could barely keep up with it. Now…hey, hey! Where are you going?"

Melena had wrenched free of Hancrest's grasp and was now heading directly towards the looming Green Palace. She didn't know what Bolynda must have done to get herself tangled into this mess, but she knew the only way to get to her daughter was through one way.

She had to go into the Green Palace, disturbance or not.

"Hey! Where are you going?" she heard Hancrest call after her again. She could hear his footsteps behind her and she turned her head over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but it seems I've found the Green Palace! Good day to you sir!"

She left Hancrest standing here, scratching his head in confusion.

_That was some crazy lady,_ he thought._ Crazy, but beautiful._

Whistling softly to himself, he walked back towards the Emerald City gates, unaware of the trouble that was about to brew within the Green Palace behind him.

***

"Mantu, what are you doing here?"

The elf looked just as surprised to see her. "Red One? Oh my, I must be seeing things!"

"Who else do you know that's red-skinned? C'mere and give me a hug, you." Frynda didn't waste any time pulling Mantu into a big-hearted hug, feeling his thin, green arms wrap around her shoulders.

"I've missed you, my friend," Mantu whispered into her ear.

"Me too," breathed Frynda as they pulled apart. She would have never thought she would be able to see the friendly elf again. "I'm sorry that I didn't say a proper goodbye to you."

"Frynda," Mantu said, chuckling, "it seems we're in need of some hellos, not goodbyes."

Frynda then looked around her and realized Mantu was right. Kora looked up at the elf with a wary eye, probably expecting him to lash out at her at any second.

"Kora, this is Mantu," the red-skinned girl said and extended a hand in order to help her up, but then withdrew it when she noticed that the obviously weak girl wouldn't have the strength to stand by herself.

"Please to meet you, Miss Kora," said Mantu humbly, giving the girl a polite bow. "I am Mantu from the Never-Ending Forest. It seems you are the one Dr. Yanz had informed me about?"

The Gorilla then coughed, making her presence known. "Yes," she said to Mantu, her voice a dull monotone. "This is she."

"What are you doing here, Mantu?" Frynda asked him, raising a brow.

"I suppose Glinda hadn't informed you about me…? Oh, never mind. As you know, Frynda, I was a healer when I was with my former clan. When I saw the wounded Animals at the Village, I had to stay and help. It was only my duty."

Frynda nodded. "I understand."

Mantu then gave her a smile. "It was just a coincidence that I happened to be walking by when Dr. Yanz found me. I had been on my way to gather supplies from the Hospital when I received the most unfortunate news that it was burned down."

Dr. Yanz flinched at this.

"I had told her about my training in healing, so she has convinced me to tag along with her. Now I'm glad I agreed. My training is not only limited to Animals, you know. I am very capable with humans too."

Frynda nodded, remembering the way he had healed Elphaba's legs when they had been in the Never-Ending Forest.

"You think you can heal me?" Kora asked him suddenly. Her violet eyes were sharp and piercing. "I don't think what I have can be healed."

"I—"

Before Mantu could continue, however, Dr. Yanz interrupted him with a swift grunt. The Gorilla glared at her patient as she growled,

"I'm sorry, Kora, but I believe this is neither the right time nor place for your poor attitude. He has something that could help us get to where we need to be."

Frynda blinked and looked at Mantu, who stared back at her with his bright green eyes sparkling. With his hand, he gestured somewhere to his right. The sixteen-year-old turned her head and gasped, her face breaking into a grin.

"_Two _horses?!"

"Horses," Mantu stressed. "With a capital 'H'. They weren't easy to convince, but I had managed to get them to come with me in order to carry supplies. Now that there are no supplies to carry, I might as well help you."

"Oh, thank you Mantu!" Frynda gushed and gave the elf a crushing hug, knocking the wind out of him. "I don't know how to repay you!"

"Letting me breathe would be nice," choked the elf and chuckled as the young woman released her crushing hold on him. Mantu put a slender, green hand on her arm as he said,

"You don't need to repay me for _anything_, Frynda. You are my friend and that's what friends do. They help each other."

Frynda smiled at him. "You're one _strange _elf, Mantu."

Mantu just shrugged, a small grin plastered on his elfish features. "I guess I am."

They didn't waste any time carrying Kora to the Horses. They nickered amongst themselves as the foursome approached them.

"Are you gonna carry her?" one of them nickered to the other. He switched his white tail, his blue eyes shifting between the rapidly approaching crowd and the blue-gray Horse next to him.

"Nu-uh. _You_ carry her."

"Rock, paper, hoof?"

"Alright."

The Horses quickly played a simplistic version of the 'rock-paper-scissors' game using their hooves and the white Horse let an enraged neigh when he lost. His left hoof was sticking out as the blue-gray Horse's right hoof was doing a crude interpretation of paper.

"Damn it," the white Horse muttered. "This game is rigged."

"Y_ou_ were the one who suggested it, smart one. Look, here they come."

Mantu walked up to them and they couldn't help but roll their eyes at the sight of the friendly green elf.

"There's a very sickly girl that needs to be carried," Mantu told them. "Which one of you would like to carry her?" He turned to the blue-gray Horse.

"Utik?"

The blue-gray Horse shook his head as the white Horse beside him gave a sigh.

"I'll do it," he muttered, his ears flattening against his head in obvious reluctance.

"Thank you, Axem," said Mantu cheerily and proceeded to direct Frynda and Dr. Yanz as they placed Kora on top of the white Horse's back.

"I can do this by myself, you know," Kora muttered grumpily as Dr. Yanz hurriedly tried to settle the girl in as best as she could.

"I know you can," the Gorilla responded but kept making sure that the girl was comfortable on the Horse.

"Are you going to ride too?" Axem then asked her, a slight twinge of disdain in his voice.

"No," the doctor said flatly, apparently noticing the way he looked at her large girth with fear in his blue eyes. "I'm going to walk."

Dr. Yanz then turned to Frynda; the Gorilla's shoulders slumped forwards in obvious exhaustion. "Would you mind terribly if you rode with her? I'm afraid she'll fall—"

"I'll be _fine_," insisted Kora. "I've ridden a horse before."

"I'll do it," Frynda said quickly before an argument could ensue between the doctor and her patient. As she mounted behind Kora, she couldn't help but reminisce on the time she had ridden behind Glinda. Hesitantly she wrapped her arms around Kora's waist, just as she had done with Glinda all those days ago.

To her surprise, Kora didn't react or flinch to her unexpected embrace. She just sat there, eerily silent. The brunette was obviously still angry with Dr. Yanz by the way she was cutting the Gorilla a death glare meant to kill.

"Don't get too comfy with me, Frynda," Kora told her, making the older teenager jump out of sheer surprise. "You may have saved me, but that doesn't mean you own me." She then broke out into a series of wracking coughs.

Frynda felt her obviously painful coughs, confused at the younger girl's sudden bitterness towards her. "But Kora—"

She didn't have time to finish as Axem started to walk. Utik followed behind him, Mantu on his back. Dr. Yanz walked beside them, her stronger legs giving her an edge over the humans and elf. She kept pace with them easily as they crossed unto the Blue Brick Road.

_Onward to the Red Palace_, Frynda thought with a sigh.

_Onward to my prison._


	57. Chapter 57

**What happened to the last chapter, guys? Was the review button broken or something...? :/**

**Anyways, here's the new chapter. Enjoy it~ :D**

**PS: Remember when I promised you guys art relating to this story? Well, it's here. The link is on my profile. :)**

**It's a picture of Frynda, Bolynda and Zafryna. Comments there would be greatly appreciated. I would love to know what you guys think of it. :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 57

The alarm had been sounding for a few minutes now.

Commander Rayne ran through the halls of the Green Palace, his heart feeling like it was going to pop right out of his chest. He didn't know how he had managed to escape from Fiyero, but he remembered having a gun pointed to his chest, and Fiyero being thrown back against the wall.

He thought he had seen the silhouette of Morrible in the corner of his eye, but he never got the chance to see clearly since he had fled from the scene the moment he saw his opportunity.

He practically flew down the various corridors of the Palace, whooshing past several surprised-looking people. He almost tripped over himself as he rounded a corner and ran straight into another uniformed man such as himself.

"C-Corporal Vancor!" Rayne stammered as he struggled to get up.

"Pull yourself together, commander!" Vancor snarled at him and grabbed his shoulders, hauling him off the ground. "Why is the alarm sounding?"

"There a-are enemies loose in P-Palace, corporal! The blue witch and the Emperor, er, I mean Fiyero!" Rayne stuttered, brushing Vancor's hands off his shoulders. "They had captured me but I managed to escape. I think her Ozness is involved!"

"Oh sweet Oz," the corporal muttered under his breath. "We have to capture them before they could do anything to her. I think we've had enough changes of power for one day."

Without another moment's hesitation, Vancor dragged the obviously still terrified commander away from the crowd that had gathered around them curiously. They were alarmed when they heard that there were enemies loose in the Palace.

"Oh no," they whispered amongst themselves. They were starting to have their doubts about their safety as they moseyed about in the expansive, green-colored corridor. They huddled in groups, fearing that if they were going to be caught; at least they couldn't be caught alone.

"The Wicked Witch has surely returned," whispered a woman, her companion nodding stiffly.

"That she has," he muttered. "That she has."

***

Fiyero didn't have time to do anything before he felt something grab at the collar of his uniform jacket and he was thrown backwards once more, his head colliding with the floor. Bolynda let out a shriek as the ominous form of Morrible appeared, her characteristic crooked smile on her face.

"Did you miss me?" she asked as Bolynda stood there, her eyes wide open in shock.

_How could she be alive?_ the blue girl thought in bewilderment._ I used the Vacuum Spell, the only kind of killing spell I know—_

"Your magic isn't as strong as you think, dearie," Morrible sneered. "It seems that your lack of ability has, in turn, saved mine. My guards will be arriving in a few minutes."

As if on cue, there was a piercing alarm that rang through the Palace, making Bolynda flinch.

Fiyero let out a groan, his head feeling like it had been used as an anvil for a hammer. "Argh," he moaned, rolling on the ground. The last thing he saw was Bolynda's frozen form in the doorway of the janitor's closet before he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Why…why can't I just get rid of you once and for all?" Bolynda suddenly shouted at Morrible. She was obviously frustrated with the whole situation. "Every time I try and kill you, you just come back to bother me again! What do I have to do to kill you?"

"Well, for one, you will have to try a lot harder than a mere Vacuum Spell, dearie. I'm not some fly that can be swatted away_ that_ easily. I am Madame Morrible, Oz's most powerful sorceress and not to mention, Empress."

"No," came the voice from within the closet.

Bolynda's heart sunk with dread as Razaf appeared beside her.

"You are _not_ Empress," continued the sandy-haired man, his green eyes flashing angrily.

"Razaf, no," Bolynda hissed at him as Morrible let out a surprised gasp. The blue-skinned girl clung to his arm as if her life depended on it.

"Bo, let me go," Razaf said to her. "I started this and now I intend to finish it."

"I thought I had killed you," Morrible muttered under her breath. She then turned to Bolynda, who glared back at her through hate-filled blue eyes.

"It seems you and I have something in common, Bolynda," sneered Morrible. "We have a habit of leaving our adversaries alive. But it's about time I break my habit and kill you."

Razaf pulled Bolynda back into the closet as Morrible thrust her hands into the air and muttered an unintelligible phrase. Sparks flew from her hands and a streak of lightning hit the wooden door just as Razaf slammed it against its frame.

"You can't run away from me for long, kiddies," Morrible cackled, her hands crackling noisily from the bolt of electricity she had unleashed upon the pair.

Razaf felt Bolynda bury into his chest as he leaned against the warm door. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his love's black hair. "We're going to get out of here, Bolynda," he said.

"Yeah," she sniffled, "but in how many pieces?"

Razaf frowned and tightened his hold on his newfound love. He couldn't lose her now. Not when he had just found out she loved him too.

"Don't say that, my love," Razaf whispered to her reassuringly. "You have to think positive."

Bolynda smiled softly when Razaf called her 'my love'. She then frowned, clutching at the green uniform jacket. "I'll try, Razaf, but it's just so hard. I'm scared of her. I mean…I _saw_ her die." Her voice started to tremble.

"Shh, don't cry. I'm here now. You're safe."

Bolynda opened her mouth to say something when a harsh banging sound made her scream and clutch at Razaf again. He held her protectively, his brows knitting together in frustration. There was no way they could escape and not even his comforting words could help them now.

They were trapped and there was no escape.

"Come out, you cowards," they heard Morrible jeer from outside the door. "If you think a flimsy door like that could be the difference between your life and death…think again!"

Razaf felt Bolynda shudder in his arms and he gulped, feeling a bit terrified himself. The sweat collected on his forehead as his mind raced over what he should do. It wasn't like him to just surrender, but now that he had Bolynda to consider, that option sounded pretty good to him.

"Bolynda, stay here."

"No, Razaf." Bolynda clung to him desperately, not wanting to bear the anxiety of being parted form the handsome man she loved. "Don't leave me here."

Razaf tenderly stroked her short, black hair. "We have no choice, Bo. Any minute she's going to knock the door down and we're doomed. If we come out peacefully she might reconsider—"

"Razaf," Bolynda said seriously. "We're talking about _Morrible_ here. She wants to _kill _us."

Razaf sighed. He knew she had a point. The sandy-haired man didn't know what else to do except wait for their surefire death. He looked down at the beautiful girl in his arms and closed his eyes. At least he'll die in love.

"They're in there," he suddenly heard Morrible hiss from outside the closet. The hairs on his neck stood on end as he felt the door behind him start to jiggle.

"Come on out!" came the rough voice. There was a sudden banging sound that made Razaf and Bolynda jump back into the various brooms and cleaning accessories that were strewn across the closet. Soon there was another bang, then another and another.

They were going to force their way into the closet.

"By the Named God," Bolynda whispered to Razaf, who was holding onto her as tightly as he could.

"We have to think of a way to get out of here," the man said, his voice trembling in his fear. Razaf had never been afraid of anything in his life, but the woman standing right outside the door downright terrified him.

"How?" Bolynda asked him. "_You're_ the escape artist."

Razaf tolerated this; already growing used to his newfound love's often misplaced yet crudely snide comments. He was about to open his mouth to say something when he felt a strange feeling come over him. He had only felt this several other times in his life.

Razaf didn't know if he should be afraid or relieved. He just held unto Bolynda, reciting a silent prayer in his head to all the gods he knew.

_Please let it work…please let it work…_

The Gale Force guards finally forced the door open, but it was too late.

They were already gone.

***

Adagio had been practicing a few flight maneuvers in front of the Red Palace when he saw several dots appear out of the distant Blue Brick Road. The black Horse let out a grunt and landed, folding his wings against his flanks.

He squinted, trying to distinguish the figures, but they were still too far away.

_Damn this bad eyesight,_ he thought angrily. _I wonder who could be coming…?_

"Oh, Frynda!" he said aloud, wanting to hit himself for forgetting all about the red girl. He pranced on his hooves as the group moved closer.

He then spread his wings and took off into the sky, his height advantage giving him the necessary view he needed. _There we go,_ he thought. _That's much better._

The Horse could see that there were more than two mottled shapes when he counted them in the distance. _It seems she has brought some friends along_, he thought. Flapping his wings, he drew closer to them, not knowing quite what to expect when he reached them.

***

It was Kora who spotted him first.

"Hey, look at that!" the brunette suddenly shouted, pointing to the sky. There was something black approaching them from the heavens. The group stopped in their tracks, their gazes lifting upwards towards the figure.

"What _is_ that?" Utik neighed, the blue-gray Horse swishing his tail.

"I don't know," Mantu replied from his place on top of his back, his bright green eyes opening wide in amazement.

Frynda, of course, knew who he was in an instant. It was Adagio and she had never been more happy to see the flying Horse.

"He's a friend," she told everyone around her.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong," said Dr. Yanz, "but is that a Horse with _wings_?"

"Yup," chirped Frynda.

"That's unnatural," muttered Axem. The white Horse snorted with contempt. "A flying Horse…I mean, _seriously?_"

Frynda just shot a look at the moody Horse she was riding and then switched her gaze to the rapidly approaching Adagio.

The winged Horse landed perfectly in front of them, his practice obviously paying off. He was surprised to see other Horses among him and he flicked his ears, suddenly feeling very out of place.

"Adagio," Frynda greeted him and dismounted Axem. The white Horse was glaring at Adagio, wondering how in Zo a Horse could acquire wings like that. He then glanced at Utik, who was starting back at him with the same look in his gray eyes: mutual loathing for the winged Horse.

Frynda walked up to Adagio and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him.

"Red girl," Adagio nickered and nuzzled the girl that had come up to greet him. "I'm so glad to see that you haven't managed to kill yourself. Good job."

Frynda let out a chuckle at this and released her hold on his neck. "Gee, thanks."

Dr. Yanz let out a cough and Frynda turned around to face them. "Everyone, this is Adagio," she said. "He is a friend of mine. He will lead us to the Red Palace."

"He will do _what_?" Adagio asked. He cast a knowing look at the red-skinned girl. "Frynda…"

"I know what I am doing, Adagio," the sixteen-year-old said dismissively. "There's a girl that needs our help." She gestured towards Kora, who was still ogling at the majestic beast that Frynda called her friend.

The black Hose furrowed his brows. "She doesn't look like she needs our—"

As if on cue, Kora then broke into a series of wracking coughs. Both Frynda and Adagio flinched at the harsh sound. They exchanged a look and Adagio sighed in resignation.

"I guess you're right," he said. He then happened to glance towards Utik, the blue-gray Horse who hasn't spoken to him yet. His brown eyes then opened wide not at the Horse himself, but at the green elf on his back.

"What in Zo?!" Adagio neighed shrilly, taking a few steps backwards.

Mantu knew he had been spotted and he gave a small sigh. He had recognized Adagio from the time the black Horse had confronted him and his former brother, Olak, in the Never-Ending Forest. How he had acquired wings was beyond comprehension for the little green elf, but how the Horse reacted to his presence was not. The elves were known to be his sworn enemy.

"It's okay, Adagio," Frynda soothed the obviously frightened Horse. "He's a good guy."

"Are you _crazy?!_" Adagio snorted. "He's an _elf!_"

Both Axem and Utik rolled their eyes. They knew there was nothing to be afraid of when it came to Mantu. The elf wouldn't even hurt a fly without feeling bad about it afterwards.

Mantu frowned and shifted uncomfortably on Utik's back. "I won't hurt you," he said to Adagio. He then held his green hands up in front of him in a form of surrender. "See? No arrows."

Adagio was clearly still wary of the elf despite Frynda's efforts to console him. "I don't know, Frynda…"

"Just trust me, Adagio," Frynda begged him. "We don't have much time."

Adagio gave in with a frustrated sigh. "Alright, alright." He then snapped his head to where Mantu was, the Horse's brown eyes sharp and piercing through his green skin. "But you. _You_ have to stay way, _way_ over there. Are you understanding me, elf?"

"Completely," the elf said quickly. "And it's Mantu, by the way."

"Whatever," snorted Adagio and spread his wings, eliciting a few gasps from the crowd behind him. He smirked, delighting in the fact that could cause such a spectacle. The black Horse took off into the air and flew high into the air until his audience had to crane their necks upwards to look at him.

"Okay, everybody," he said loudly. "I'm going to lead you to the Red Palace now."

He then turned his head towards the two Horses and gave them a wink.

"Try to keep up, will you?"

Axem and Utik sputtered like boiling teapots as Adagio swooped over them and disappeared into the sky, his laughing echoing in their ears. They had no choice but to follow him, their hooves racing across the Blue Brick Road.

There was no way they were going to let some _freak _beat them at their own game.

Wings or no wings, they hated Adagio from the very start.

***

Zafryna had been watching from a nearby window when she saw them come in. She had been silently thinking to herself, her thoughts ringing hollowly in her head. Where could Melena be? Why wasn't she here? Where were Frynda and Bolynda?

It seemed everyone she knew was lost somehow. She was beside herself with worry and she couldn't do anything about. Not while Elphaba was busy with her girlfriend upstairs.

That one thought sent her blood boiling hot with rage again.

_How could they think of sex at a time like this? _Zafryna thought angrily. _It's one thing to be glad that Glinda's doing well, but having a complete make out session is another! What were they thinking?_

That had been her last thought before she saw Adagio's shape flash by her window. She then saw the small shapes of new arrivals run in through the gates of the Palace. Her head soared when she recognized her red-skinned sister among them.

"Frynda!" she cried aloud and ran towards the front entrance. Since Simon wasn't there at the present moment, she opened the massive doors with ease. She ran outside just as Adagio landed, his feathered wings sending up a cloud of dust as his hooves touched the ground.

"Hey…you!"

Much to his frustration, Adagio couldn't remember the yellow-skinned girl's name, but it didn't seem to have fazed her as she ran up to him.

"My sister," she breathed, panting. "Is that my sister back there?"

"Yes, and a few others," the Horse replied. "You might have to wait a bit. They're slow."

But Zafryna _couldn't _wait. As soon as she spotted them cross the gate, she ran up to them, her cloak billowing behind her like a three-dimensional shadow.

Frynda knew she was in trouble as she saw her older sister practically fly towards them. The red-skinned girl gulped uncertainly as she dismounted Axem. Kora stared after her, a brow raised at the woman rapidly approaching them.

"She's my sister," Frynda quickly explained to her before Zafryna stopped right in front of her, her hands on her knees in exhaustion.

"I-I,"

Zafryna's stuttering was getting Frynda worried. She was sure going to get it now after all that she had done to her yellow-skinned sister. Expecting the worst, she braced herself.

What she didn't expect however, was the crushing hug that she received from her older sister.

"I'm so g-glad you're alright," Zafryna said breathlessly, tightening her hold on her red-skinned sister. She closed her eyes, forcing back tears.

Frynda let herself melt into the embrace, not really sure why her sister was so happy to see her back. After, she _had _left her alone in the Palace.

"You scared the shit out of me, Frynda," Zafryna said as she pulled away from her sister. "Going off on your own like that…"

Frynda bowed her head, knowing what was to come. Again she braced herself, wondering if the hug was just a cruel prelude to a harsh lecture.

But instead of admonishing her sister, however, Zafryna turned to the newcomers around them. "Who is this?"

"Dr. Yanz." The Gorilla introduced herself first and reached out a hand for Zafryna to shake. "I am pleased to meet yet _another_ one of the Great Witch's daughters."

Zafryna gave the Animal doctor a wary smile and shook the offered hand. "I am please to meet you too, Dr. Yanz."

"I understand you have some sort of Infirmary in your Palace?" Dr. Yanz asked her. "Your sister spoke of it on our way here…"

"Yes, we do. Why do you ask?" Zafryna was genuinely curious.

"Well, you see, my Hospital has been burned down by the Evil—"

"Wizard," finished Zafryna, a twinge of a growl in her voice. "I should have known. So Dr. Yanz…did you treat all of these Animals in your Hospital?" She gestured to the others around them.

"Well, not _only_ Animals," clarified Dr. Yanz. "I also treated humans in my Hospital. Kora here is one of my longer-term patients." She pointed to the brunette on top of the white Horse. In response, Kora gave Zafryna a little wave.

The yellow-skinned woman couldn't help but give a little wave back. "So let me guess," she started and turned to Frynda, a knowing brow raised. "You want me to invite them into the Palace?"

"Well, since you _are _the oldest, Zaf," Frynda told her, a small smile gracing her face, "I suppose we should ask _you_ for permission."

Zafryna then sighed, closing her emerald green eyes. "Oh Rynda, I would say yes, I really would, but…the Infirmary is already on its way to becoming overcrowded. The Wizard's attack was a harsh one that we weren't prepared for."

"What I need isn't much, I can assure you," Dr. Yanz quickly cut in before Frynda could argue. "I just need a ventilator to make sure Kora can breathe well on her own again. You see, she has a lung disease that needs to be carefully monitored or else…"

Zafryna looked unsure. "I don't know about this—"

"Oh, c'mon, Zaf!" Frynda interrupted her. She grabbed her sister's arm pleadingly. "Look at her! Can't you see the bags under her eyes? She's sick and she needs our help!"

"And so does the rest of the Red Storm guard too, Frynda!" Zafryna snapped at her, pulling her arm away from her younger sister's grip. "I don't know about a ventilator, Dr. Yanz, but the most I can provide now is a place for her to rest her head."

"It's a start," the Gorilla said. "I suppose we can work out the ventilator later." She turned to the brunette, who looked all too comfortable on Axem's back. "C'mon, Kora, off the Horse. We're going inside."

Kora looked reluctant to slide into the Animal's hairy arms and she shot Frynda a pleading look. The red-skinned girl was surprised to get this sort of attention. She pointed at herself and mouthed a silent '_me?_'

Kora nodded. "I want Frynda to carry me, Dr. Yanz."

Dr. Yanz raised a brow, obviously not used to this sort of favoritism, but then again…she had never been Kora's favorite _anything_. "Fine, go ahead," the doctor said as she stepped away from Axem's flank to let Frynda take her place.

Kora dropped into Frynda's arms as if she was made just for her. Frynda couldn't help but blush at the sudden closeness of her newfound crush, but she made sure not to make a sound as she slowly turned around and walked away from the Animals.

Zafryna watched this with a critical eye. It seemed her sister had clearly won the favor of the sick girl, but the question was: how? She knew Frynda was annoyingly chivalrous, but to the point of carrying a girl around just because she said so was _ridiculous_.

"Thank you," Kora whispered to Frynda. "I don't like her that much, as you can probably tell."

"Oh yeah," chuckled the older girl nervously. She shifted Kora's weight in her arms so that they were both comfortable. The brunette nuzzled herself into Frynda's robe-covered chest, the red-skinned girl almost kneeling over in the overwhelming feeling of it all.

"Let's get going then," Zafryna told them. She looked around and noticed she had forgotten another presence that had been listening to their conversation. There was an elf on another Horse she hadn't noticed before, but she left that one for Frynda to explain later.

Mantu dismounted Utik as Zafryna, Frynda and Dr. Yanz started to walk towards the Red Palace. The elf then turned towards the two Horses, placing his hands on his hips.

"Okay you two," he said to them. "Stay out here with Adagio. I don't want to hear of any biting, kicking or mane-pulling, alright?"

"What makes you think we're going to do all that?" Axem asked boldly, shaking his white head.

Mantu gave him a stern look as he responded, "I can see it in your eyes. You're jealous of him, aren't you?"

"Jealous!" snorted Axem. He looked at Utik, who swished his gray tail in response. "Look at him! He's calling me _jealous_!"

"Impossible," nickered Utik. "Why would we want to associate with a _freak_?"

Mantu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for Adagio. He knew what it felt like to be hated by his own kind. "Whatever," he sighed. "Just stay here."

He walked away without letting them respond, rubbing the back of his neck with a slender, green hand.

_I guess elves aren't the only ones with cold hearts,_ he thought to himself and with one last look over his shoulder at the two Horses, he entered the Palace.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

"Elphaba."

Zafryna got up from the chair she was sitting on. The living room was crowded with people and to the green woman's immediate surprise; there was also an Animal among them.

A Gorilla was attending to a sleeping girl who was lying on the sofa closest to the fireplace. She looked no older than fifteen and she appeared as if she had been to hell and back. Her skin was a deathly pale as the Gorilla examined her body. Judging by the white lab coat the Ape was adorning, Elphaba could only assume that she was some sort of doctor.

The next person she saw was Frynda, who stood near the girl's head at the foot of the bed. The red-skinned girl offered her older sister a weak smile when she caught her brown gaze, but she found no response from the green witch. It was as if she was a statue.

Elphaba's gaze then rested on Inett, who had her back turned against the green woman as she attended to the fireplace. Inett then slowly got up and turned around, her hazel eyes opening wide at the sight of Elphaba staring at her.

Before she knew what she was doing, Elphaba took a step towards the brunette. Inett jumped out of surprise at the sudden movement of the green woman, the poker nearly falling out of her hands.

"_You_," Elphaba hissed, raising a finger to point it straight at the obviously nervous girl's chest. "What have you done to my Glinda?"

"W-what do you mean?" Inett stammered, talking a step back towards Zafryna, who looked very confused at the scene unfolding before her.

"You know what I mean," snarled Elphaba.

Zafryna decided she would take it from there before her sensitive friend could suffer any more scrutiny under her older sister's harsh glare. "Elphaba, what are you talking about?"

"Something had been slipped into Glinda's stew," Elphaba growled, trying to keep her temper in check. "She was not herself. I demand to know what was put into her stew before I kill one of you!" Her voice had risen to a shout and Zafryna stepped forward towards her sister, her hands spread outwards in a gesture of peace.

"Elphaba, calm down," she said. "You're right. Something_ had_ been slipped into her stew."

Elphaba then whirled around on her sister, her brown eyes blazing with rage. "You _knew?_ Out of all people…_you?_"

"It was my idea," Zafryna said stupidly.

"What…_exactly_…had been put in her stew?" Elphaba was trying to keep her voice level. She desperately hoped it wasn't what she_ thought _it was…

"It was to try and revive her," Zafryna tried to argue but Elphaba held out a hand to stop her.

"Just tell me what you put in it before I lose it."

Zafryna gulped. Should she tell her about the Miracle Elixir? Surely Elphaba would go ballistic if she knew her girlfriend had been slipped the very substance that she was trying for her to avoid.

"The green bottle."

Inett's soft whisper echoed as if it had been shouted at the top of her lungs.

Elphaba's head turned towards her robotically, her eyes flashing. "_Which_ green bottle?"

Zafryna buried her head in her hands. "Inett, no," she groaned. She never knew Inett would be the one to tell the truth. She had never been particularly honest.

Inett realized her mistake only too late when Elphaba came flying at her, the brunette barely managing to bolt out of the room before the green woman chased her like some huntress after her prey. Not willing to stand for this type of rash behavior, Zafryna quickly followed after Elphaba.

It seemed the green woman had finally lost it.

And it was once again up to Zafryna to pull her out of the brink.

***

Frynda was stuck between watching the dramatic scene between her sisters and Kora. It seemed the frail, young girl had grown weaker since Frynda had carried her inside the Palace and she was struggling to keep breathing. Right now she was fast asleep, catching up on much needed rest.

"This is not good," Dr. Yanz murmured under her breath. She took off the stethoscope from her ears, grimacing. "It seems the smoke that Kora breathed in had caused more damage than I had originally thought."

"Is there any way I can help?" Frynda asked her worriedly.

Dr. Yanz just sighed. "A ventilator would be the best option now, but your sister was adamant about not letting me borrow one to use."

Frynda glanced at Zafryna, who seemed as if she was in the middle of some sort of confrontation between Elphaba and Inett. She briefly wondered what the usually shy brunette could have done to tick off the green witch.

_Perhaps I could steal one from the Infirmary when Zaf's not looking,_ Frynda thought to herself.

Her wish had been granted when Inett suddenly ran out of the room, Elphaba at her heels. Zafryna followed them, the door slamming after her. Frynda blinked in confusion and turned to Dr. Yanz, who looked just as surprised as she felt.

"What has gotten into _them?_" the Gorilla asked.

Frynda shrugged. "Who knows? That was Elphaba, my sister. She sort of has a…temper."

"I can see that," the Gorilla chuckled and put her stethoscope back on her ears. She turned back to Kora, but still kept her conversation going with Frynda. "I never heard that you had a green sister too."

"Nobody has, really," Frynda said and shuffled her feet. "Um, I'm going to go upstairs for a minute. I'm going to change out of this bathrobe."

Of course she wasn't _only _going to change out of her grimy clothes, but Dr. Yanz waved her away, her attention now focused on reading Kora's shaky breathing pattern.

Closing the door softly behind her, the red-skinned sixteen-year-old left the room. Looking around her, she noticed that Inett and her pursuers had already been through here.

Frynda let out a sigh and made her way up the staircase, her shoulders slumped forwards in her exhaustion. She had never felt _this_ tired in her short sixteen years of life. All she wanted to do was go to her room and sleep, but she knew she had to think of Kora first.

And looking down at herself, she noticed that she desperately needed to change her clothes. Even though she wasn't the sort to worry about to her appearance, she realized that she needed to come up with some sort of fire-resistant wardrobe in order to keep up with her unpredictable firepower.

_I can't suffer through _that_ embarrassment again_, she thought with a blush, remembering the way Glinda had practically witnessed her in all her red-skinned glory (quite literally.)

As she went down through the familiar hallway towards her room, she felt something grab at her arm.

_What the…?_ she thought and turned around, giving a gasp at who she saw.

***

Melena eventually found her way inside the Green Palace, letting her desperation lead her through the green-colored corridors. She had never actually been_ inside _the Palace, but she found that it was awfully similar to the Red Palace back in Zo.

People were clumped in groups all around her, their eyes darting around nervously. Melena briefly wondered what had gotten them on their toes when she remembered the disturbance Hancrest had mentioned earlier.

_It must have been serious_, she thought. She spent the next few minutes asking the Ozians around her if they had seen Bolynda. She described everything besides the fact that she had blue skin.

"Nope."

"No, sorry."

"I think I saw someone like that, but it was a guy."

Melena shook her head in frustration. How was she going to find Bolynda in this place without drawing attention to herself? As she made her way to another person, she caught a flash of something in the corner of her eye.

She must be imagining things. Was that _Morrible_ she saw? The former Shiz Headmistress, as usual, was beyond herself. Her made-up face was as ugly as ever as she snarled at a Gale Force guard, who looked absolutely terrified of her.

"What do you _mean_ they just disappeared?" Melena heard Morrible scream at him. "They were there a second ago!"

"I-I honestly don't know, your Ozness!" the guard stammered.

Melena's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know whether to cry or retch in her disgust. _Morrible's the new Empress of Oz? _she thought. _By the Named God!_

"Well, what are you standing there for, you twit?" Morrible hissed at the poor man. "Go and find them! They couldn't have gone far. I mean, by Oz, her skin's_ blue_."

From the moment she had said 'blue', Melena knew Bolynda was in trouble. For some reason her daughter had Morrible after her and Melena knew from experience that no one could run from former Press Secretary without expecting serious consequences.

_I'm not going to let that happen to my daughter as long as_ I'm_ alive to stop it,_ Melena thought venomously. She quickly moved herself away from view as the fear-stricken guard rushed past her. She saw Morrible heave a gargantuan sigh and walk the opposite direction.

Melena quickly made the decision to follow her, her gray eyes narrowed in determination.

She needed to get to Morrible before Bolynda does…or else.

***

Bolynda felt like she was being sucked into a gigantic vacuum. A jolt speared its way through her body and she crashed onto the floor, the colors spiraling in her mind quickly disappearing into nothingness. Thoroughly dazed, the blue girl let out a groan and held her throbbing head.

"Bo, are you okay?"

Razaf's voice was like a beacon in a hazy night. She opened her blue eyes and saw his handsome face hovering above her.

"Oh, thank Oz. You worried me."

Bolynda let out another groan. "Razaf, what just happened to me?"

Razaf helped her sit up, a hand on her back and the other clasped firmly in hers. "I don't know, my love. I was like you just five minutes ago."

"All I remember was you holding me and then…colors."

"I know. All the colors were exploding in my head too. I have a hunch my magic had something to do with this."

Bolynda cocked her head in confusion, the myriad of colors finally fading from her mind. "Your magic?"

Razaf nodded. "It comes at times when I least expect it, like now. Usually, though, it's to my detriment but this time it actually helped me…er, _us_. I mean, we're out of the closet now, aren't we?"

With a start, Bolynda noticed that they were not in the stuffy closet anymore. They were in some sort of common room, with comfortable-looking sofas and chairs all around a fireplace. "By the Named God," she breathed as she stood up.

Razaf helped her stand, his hand protectively on her waist. "Your God is named?" he asked her.

Bolynda raised a brow at his off-comment. "What?"

"Your God," Razaf repeated. "It's named?"

"Yes," Bolynda said, drawling out the one-syllable word. "That's why it's the _Named_ God."

Razaf just let out a chuckle. "Okay, then."

Bolynda was still a little baffled but she shrugged it off. "About your magic," she said. "You said it comes at random times?"

"Random and often inconvenient," the sandy-haired man said.

"That's…_unusual_," Bolynda said.

"I've had it ever since I was born," Razaf admitted. "My mother couldn't explain it and my brother hated me for it. I've always attributed it to me being the Wizard's son and all—"

"Hold on." Bolynda raised a hand to stop him. "What are we doing? We should be getting out of here! She could be anywhere—" her voice rose in pitch and Razaf grabbed her shoulders before she could grow to the point of being hysterical.

"Get a grip on yourself, Bo!" Razaf told her. "Don't you see she's not here? We're safe now!"

Bolynda willed herself to trust him even though she still had her doubts. It seemed Razaf had somehow 'teleported' them to another part of the Palace. The more she thought about it, the more Bolynda knew there was something special about Razaf, besides the fact that she was totally and irrevocably in love with him.

As she looked deep into those brilliant green eyes, she found herself drawing closer to him and in no time she was kissing him deeply and passionately. Her blue hands reached around his neck and pulled him towards her.

As much as Razaf wanted this kiss to last forever, he knew that simply wouldn't do. Not when Morrible was still after them. He reluctantly pulled away from the blue girl and sighed.

"Bo," he said, tenderly tucking a strand of loose, black hair behind her ear. "Whatever magic I have accidentally casted has bought us some valuable time. We need to figure out a way to get out of this Palace as soon as possible."

Bolynda nodded. "Do you think Morrible knows where we went?"

Razaf was about to answer when he noticed the blue-colored jewel on Bolynda's neck pulsating softly. His face paled a little when he remembered the charm Morrible had placed on it that could lead her straight to their location.

He gulped with dread. "_Now _she does."

Bolynda was obviously confused at his words. "What do you mean…?"

"That necklace you are wearing is a charm," Razaf said. "Morrible has a bracelet just like it. It gives away your location."

"Oh, shit," Bolynda hissed under her breath and ripped the necklace off her neck. She tossed it out of the open window on the far wall. The curtains ruffled in the wind as the necklace soared through the window and unto the ground below.

"Who knows what_ else_ she's put on me," the blue girl mumbled angrily, examining herself. "At this rate_ anything _could happen."

Razaf frowned at her frightening, yet true words. He looked around the common room for something, _anything_ that could help them escape. Ever since his days as a prisoner in Southstairs, Razaf had a made a habit of looking for a way to slip away when the opportunity presented itself.

He had barely taken a step towards the candelabra he had spotted on the corner of the room when the door creaked open. Bolynda let out a gasp and he looked over his shoulder to the source of her surprise.

"Bolynda?" came a weary-sounding voice from beyond the door.

"_Mother?_"

***

Mantu had wandered off into the Red Palace just as soon as Dr. Yanz and Frynda had settled Kora down on one of the plush seats in the living room. The elf had never been inside any sort of building before, let alone the Red Palace. It was overwhelming and a little uncomfortable to be surrounded by four walls.

Ever since he was a youngling, he had grown used to the freedom the wild provided him; however, this caged-sort of feeling frightened him more than amazed him. He didn't know how Frynda could stand it, being so enclosed like this.

_It must feel so awful to be confined in this place,_ he thought, approaching the rather tall double-staircase in the middle of the entranceway.

All the red around him made him feel as if he was in some sort of fire, which made him shudder with the all-too recent memory of the fire he had barely escaped in the Never-Ending Forest.

_Think positive, Mantu_, he told himself shakily. _You have to think positive._

He forced himself to continue looking through the unfamiliar Palace, taking in the numerous portraits and paintings he saw. He noticed that whenever Frynda had made an appearance in them she had either been frowning or looking very bored.

_It seemed as if she was elated to be here,_ Mantu thought sarcastically, feeling pity for his human friend. As he climbed the staircase, he noticed that the steps were entirely too big for him. He used careful, deliberate steps as he ascended the precarious staircase, gripping the handrail next to him for support.

Sighing in relief when he reached the top, Mantu looked around him, noticing two extensive hallways expand to his opposite sides. He decided to go to the right and not able to contain his curiosity any longer, he entered the first door he saw.

His slender green fingers curved around the wooden door as he peeked inside, the dim lighting in the room confusing his vision for a second before quickly adjusting.

He then jumped when he heard a groan. It came from the bed in the middle of the room.

"Elphie, is that you?"

Mantu blinked at the sound of Glinda's familiar voice. He heard some rustling coming from the bed and a blonde mass of hair finally made itself known. Blue eyes blinked sleepily through the dark dimness of the room.

"Elphie?"

Mantu gulped, not sure what to say to her. He shuffled nervously at the door, feeling Glinda's drowsy gaze examine him.

"Wait, you're not Elphie," said Glinda, her voice dipping. She then buried herself further in the covers of the bed.

A muffled "Go away" was uttered from underneath the covers and Mantu was about to turn around and go back to the hall when he noticed something rather…odd about the way Glinda had spoken to him. She had sounded as if she was in pain.

He was about to go to where she hid from his sight when the blonde let out a soft groan, the covers shifting around on the bed. Mantu raised a brow, wondering what could possibly make Glinda sound so sick…

Suddenly the covers were thrown back from the bed and Glinda ran past Mantu, covering her mouth. She nearly tripped over herself as she crashed into the bathroom, managing to throw up into the toilet in time.

She leaned into the porcelain seat as the stew came tumbling out of her mouth into the bowl. When she was sure nothing else could possibly be in her stomach, she slid down on the floor. Her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults and the feeling of nausea lingered in her head.

"Miss Glinda, are you alright?"

The voice snapped her out of her reverie. Her gaze fixed on a little green form at the door of the bathroom. She then closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, trying to fight off another wave of the unexpected nausea that came over her all of the sudden.

"M-Mantu?" she groaned. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

What surprised Mantu more than Glinda's current condition was her correct pronunciation of his name. "I came here with Frynda," he explained. "Are you quite well?"

Glinda responded by hurling into the toilet once again. She wiped her hand across her mouth as she answered, "Well, what do you _think_?"

Mantu gently walked over to her and placed a hand on the small of her back. "It is evident you are very sick, Miss Glinda," he said. "Was it something you ate…?"

"I think s-so," Glinda said. "The stew I had t-tasted funny…"

"Stew?" Mantu crinkled his elfish brow. "What stew?"

"The…the stew…" Glinda's voice was weak as she struggled to stand up from the floor. Mantu hurriedly assisted her and for once the blonde didn't push him away. She leaned unto his small frame as they shuffled to the door of the bathroom.

"Miss Glinda, you have to lie down," Mantu said as Glinda started to veer the other way—to the direction of the stairs to the entrance hall below.

"N-no…," the ill blonde whispered softly. "I…I have to get Elphie…"

Mantu pulled on her arm, directing her towards the bedroom. "I will get Elphaba for you once you lie down and try to rest. Your stomach is already weak enough as it is." His training as a healer had started to kick in from the moment when he had first seen Glinda so sick.

_Maybe it's not the stew,_ Mantu thought wonderingly. _Perhaps…_

He didn't get a chance to answer when Glinda suddenly pulled away from his grasp and once again made a beeline for the bathroom. Mantu waited in the hall until Glinda came out, looking sicker than ever.

The blonde didn't protest as the elf led her towards the guest bedroom. It took a minute for Mantu to learn how to work the door handle, but once he did, he pulled her towards the bed.

"Now lie down," the elf said to her and Glinda did so, clutching at her stomach in the process. "Before I go and find Elphaba, I want to know…are you sure it was the stew you ate?"

Glinda cast him a questioning look. "I'm pretty s-sure…what else could it be?"

Mantu blinked at her, suddenly remembering that whatever he was thinking couldn't possibly be true. Glinda and Elphaba were very much a couple. There couldn't…no, there _can't _be a chance of Glinda being…

Noticing where his thoughts were going, the elf then cleared his throat and said to Glinda,

"Um, I'm going to go now and get help. You…you just stay here."

"I'm not going anywhere," breathed Glinda, closing her eyes. "I just want Elphie…and an explanation."

Mantu knew it was easy fetching Elphaba, but coming up with an explanation to Glinda's sudden nausea…

Now_ that _would prove to be difficult.

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Review it. :)**

**-Essence**


	59. Chapter 59

**Thanks for all the reviews, everyone (and especially from those who have never reviewed before). I really appreciate your thoughts on this story. :)**

**Here's a new chapter for all of you. Enjoy~**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 59

"By the Named God, Elphaba! _Stop!_"

_Damn this girl's fast,_ Elphaba thought, drowning out Zafryna's yells for her to stop behind her. As the green woman continued to chase Inett through the hallways of the Palace, she noticed that this was getting her nowhere.

_I think it's about time I put my magic to good use,_ she thought and a spell already formed in her mind before something tackled her from behind.

The weight of Zafryna sent both the women tumbling to the ground. Elphaba's face pressed to the floor as Zafryna pinned her down by her arms and waist.

"I didn't want to do this," Zafryna panted, tightening her grip on her older sister's arms. "But you left me no choice."

"Get off me," Elphaba hissed at her, but it came out sounding more like: "geoffmeh". She heard Inett's retreating footsteps run into the next hall and the green witch struggled against her sister's grip.

"No, Elphaba," Zafryna said. "Once you are calm enough I will get up from here. Until then, I will stay put."

"It's no use trying to save your girlfriend," Elphaba told her, turning her head so she could finally speak properly. "She's basically made her death wish."

"She's_ not_ my girlfriend," Zafryna growled venomously, narrowing her eyes. "And this _isn't _Inett's fault. _I _told her to put the Miracle Elixir in Glinda's stew. I thought it would help revive her."

"Oh, it revived her alright," Elphaba said. "In more ways than one! Can you get off me? You don't exactly weigh a hundred pounds!"

Zafryna shook her head. "Not until you promise me to leave Inett alone."

"Fine, fine," the green witch hissed, growing quite annoyed with her stubborn sister. "I don't even know where the bitch went. She's probably in a corner sobbing her eyes out."

Zafryna let out an exasperated sigh. "She's one of the strongest people I know, Elphaba," she said as she reluctantly let her older sister go. "And I'm talking about mental strength, not physical."

"For someone that's not physically strong," huffed Elphaba, "she's pretty damn fast." She slowly stood up from the ground, brushing off her long, black skirt.

Zafryna looked nervously over her shoulder, praying to every god she knew that Inett was hiding somewhere inconspicuous. At this rate, Elphaba, being the unpredictable woman she was, can do just about _anything_.

"Okay, Elphaba," the yellow-skinned woman said, taking a step towards her older sister. "I'm no Bolynda. I can't read what's going on through your mind right now, but whatever it is…can we do it outside?"

"Is _that _what you think of me, sister?" Elphaba asked her, straightening her back and giving Zafryna a wry glance. "That I'm some sort of…violent radical?"

"Well, pretty much…yeah." Zafryna lowered her head a bit. "The way you chased after Inett like some sort of wild animal proved that."

"Zafryna, Glinda's the love of my life," Elphaba explained quickly. "Can you really blame me for wanting to protect her? I understand that you had the best of intentions, but what I _can't_ understand is…why didn't you tell me about it first? The Miracle Elixir is a substance even_ I_ can't comprehend."

"I'm sorry for that, Elphaba, I truly am," Zafryna apologized. "I can see that you had a valid reason to fly off the handle—even if it was in a way that was a _bit _extreme."

"I guess we both have blame to share," Elphaba said and extended a hand towards her sister. "I'm sorry for scaring Inett the way I did. I had let my temper get the better of me once again."

Zafryna ignored Elphaba's hand and instead pulled the older woman in for a hug. "That's quite alright, Elphaba," she whispered in her ear. "I'm sure she'll understand. Now, about Glinda…?"

"She's asleep now," Elphaba said, obviously still baffled by Zafryna's sudden display of affection. She gently pushed the younger woman away as she said, "I casted a Sleeping Spell on her. It seemed the Miracle Elixir had made her…hornier than usual."

Zafryna's emerald green eyes opened wide and her jaw went slack. "What…?" She then shook her head. "Y'know what, never mind. I don't want to know. So…nothing's seriously wrong with her?"

"Not that I know of," responded the green witch as she scratched the back of her head. "But since we are talking about Miracle Elixir here, I have all the reason to suspect some other side effects."

Zafryna sighed and shook her head. "I'm _so_ sorry, Elphaba…it's all my fault…"

"Hey." Elphaba placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up into those earnest chocolate-brown eyes. "It's okay. Really."

"Are you sure?" Zafryna inquired meekly. "From the way you reacted earlier, I expected at least a slap or two."

"In truth, I wasn't going to let you off the hook _this _easily," Elphaba said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But I'm starting to learn that maybe I need to stop and take a deep breath once and a while. A certain red-skinned girl we both know taught me that."

"Frynda?" Zafryna asked, raising a brow.

Elphaba nodded. "I will explain later. I want to go back to Glinda now and I guess you would want to find Inett too."

"Elphaba…"

"Oh, and when you _do_ find her, can you bring her upstairs to the guest bedroom? I want to apologize to her in person."

"Wait, Elphaba."

Zafryna grabbed her sister's arm before she could walk away. "Elphaba, I have a proposition for you. I know you want to back to your homeland…Oz, isn't it? As you well know, Bolynda found herself there too. We need to get her back."

Elphaba blinked. "Bolynda?" She remembered that the sharp-tongued blue girl was her sister also. But in the very few times the green woman had seen her, usually Zafryna and Bolynda acted like bitter enemies instead of sisters.

_This is odd_, Elphaba thought to herself, raising an arched, black brow. "Blue-skinned, sarcastic Bolynda?"

"Yes, blue-skinned, sarcastic Bolynda," Zafryna responded with a sigh.

"Are you saying that you're planning to go to Oz and get her?"

"And hopefully you too, if you're willing to help me," Zafryna said. "You see, I've never been to Oz, but you…you practically _live_ there."

Elphaba shook her head. "No, Zafryna. I can't leave Glinda here alone. Not after what just happened to her."

Zafryna closed her eyes, expecting this response. "I know, but this is urgent. I was going to go by myself, but now that Frynda is here, you can come with me."

"But like I said before…I can't leave Glinda in Zo all by herself," reiterated Elphaba. "She'll go ballistic and not to mention I will be beside myself with worry. I'm sorry, Zafryna. I understand that Bolynda's my sister too, but…I love Glinda too much."

"We'll come back for Glinda," Zafryna pleaded. "I'm sure Frynda will take care of her in the meanwhile."

Elphaba's eyes then shadowed. "Oh, I'm sure she will too," she said. "But that's not the issue. Glinda _needs _me, Zafryna. And especially now with the Miracle Elixir in her system."

"Please, Elphaba, I'm practically begging you now," Zafryna whined.

"Hold on a second," Elphaba said sharply, narrowing her eyes. "This is not _just_ about Bolynda, isn't it?"

Zafryna gulped. It seemed Elphaba was smarter than she looked. "Um…"

"_No_, Zafryna. I don't want to see _her _again. End of conversation."

Zafryna barely had time to say anything before Elphaba whirled around and started to walk away. The yellow-skinned woman wasn't going to have this. Elphaba _had_ to come with her, willingly or not. Melena needed to come back to Zo before anything else can go awry.

A spell quickly formed in her mind as Zafryna followed Elphaba, the older woman seemingly intent on getting back to her Glinda. The adept yellow-skinned witch had never attempted to use the Teleportation Spell in her life, so this was a big risk on her part. Her mother had only shown her once, and that was because there had been widespread criminal activity near the Red Palace at the time.

"Tuwer arat ganther…," Zafryna muttered under her breath as she reached forward to grab Elphaba's arm. She gripped it tightly, causing the green woman to turn around and look at her.

"What—"

"Teleportatom."

In a flash, they were gone.

***

Frynda turned around, coming face to face with Mantu. The elf looked worried as he tugged on the young girl's arm.

"What is it, Mantu?" Frynda asked, a little irritated that her friend bothered her at the most inopportune time.

"It's Glinda," the elf whispered.

Frynda's brows rose. In her haste with Kora, she had nearly forgotten about the pretty blonde she rescued from the Wizard's caravans. "Where is she?" she asked fervently. "What happened to her? Is she alright?"

"Too many questions, young Frynda," Mantu said, closing his head. "I can only answer two, however. She's in there,"

Frynda followed the elf's slender, green finger towards the guest bedroom.

"And she is certainly _not_ alright."

"By the Named God," Frynda breathed. She had hoped with everything she had that her inexperienced spell casting wouldn't affect Glinda negatively. Now it seemed she was wrong. She was about to rush into the guest bedroom when she noticed that she was still in the hospital robe.

She turned to Mantu and said,

"Hold on, I'm going to change my clothes. Go be with Glinda until I get there."

"I have to find Elphaba," Mantu said. "She wants her."

Frynda blinked, remembering the way she had seen both her older sisters run out of the room in a huff. She then slowly shook her head. "Good luck with that, Mantu. The last time I saw her, she seemed to be in quite a hurry."

Mantu shrugged his shoulders, sighing. "I might as well explore your home. You explored mine to a point."

"True," Frynda said and nodded to him before he made his way downstairs. The young, red-skinned girl glanced at the guest room door before heading towards her own bedroom.

As she thrust the door open, the first thing she noticed was her cloak neatly draped over her bed. She raised a brow and approached it, lightly touching its black fabric with a slender, red finger.

_Who put my cloak here?_ she thought. _Last time I saw it was when I rescued Glinda. I had forgotten it in the burning wreckage of the caravan…_

Then something glinted off the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw the tell-tale bronze shine of her small dagger lying on her pillow. She let out a gasp, reached for it and grabbed its hilt. She examined it quickly, tracing her finger over its sharp, lethal edge.

_Now_ this_ I haven't seen in a while_, she thought incredulously. _How did it end up here?_

She quickly looked around, wondering if there was some hidden entity she had missed. The room was deathly still, however. The faint rustling of the curtains by the window was all she heard.

_This is weird_, Frynda thought as she moved towards her dresser. Since she shared it with Zafryna, there was evidence that the older girl had been looking through it recently. The red-skinned girl quickly looked through it and picked out a pair of black pants and a simple tan-colored top. She hastily put it on before reaching in and grabbing one of the many leather sheaths she had acquired through the years.

Since she had never gotten out much in her younger years, Frynda had always relied on traveling merchants that had come from the far reaches of Zo for foreign objects such as the dagger she now held so dearly. It had been given to her by a blacksmith from the Badlands, an area usually only inhabited by tribal communities. It was his offering to the youngest member of the royal family and Melena could never quite figure out why her red-skinned daughter had fallen in love with the weapon that could cause so much pain, but since Frynda has always had a bit of an odd streak, Melena had left the issue alone.

Now fully clothed and properly armed (even though there was no need for it), Frynda exited the room and headed straight towards Glinda's room. Without knocking, she entered and her eyes opened wide at the sight. Glinda was sitting on the bed, bed sheets wrapped all around her body and her blonde head buried in her hands.

"Glinda…?" Frynda asked and the blonde stirred and looked up at the younger girl.

"I knew it," murmured Glinda and sighed. "Where's Elphaba?"

"She's…not here right now," Frynda answered quietly.

"I feel sick," the blonde admitted, scooting further up on the bed and wrapping the sheets tightly around herself, just barely hiding the necessary. "I'm so confused, Frynda. Was it that stew I ate?"

Frynda wasn't sure what she was talking about, but she walked towards the edge of the bed and looked down at the sickly pale blonde. "Glinda, did you just wake up?" she asked.

"I was up when Elphaba was here," Glinda said and a brief flush crept unto her face. Frynda tried to ignore it, but she found herself clenching and unclenching her fists.

_Stop it, Frynda,_ she thought. _This is old news now. You're not supposed to like her anymore._

"But I think she casted a Sleeping Spell or something on me because I fell asleep right in the middle of…" Glinda's voice trailed off, her face now a furious shade of red. "U-uh, that's not important. Your elf friend came here earlier, though. It took my all not to throw up on him."

"I'm glad you didn't," Frynda chuckled. The way Glinda frowned at her told her that she was not amused. Frynda cleared her throat nervously and apologized,

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

"Yes, that was," Glinda said scathingly. "I would like to know where my girlfriend is. I don't like all this secrecy."

Frynda tried to quell her rapidly beating heart but it only made her even more nervous. "She m-might be downstairs."

Glinda sighed. "So that's why she casted a Sleeping Spell on me. Figures. She might as well have other things to do than to stay here with me. That liar."

"Hey now," Frynda interjected quickly before Glinda could grow any angrier with her lover. "I saw her down there before I came here. I'm sure she had a pretty logical reason to cast a Sleeping Spell on you."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you tell me, then? You seem to be all too eager to defend her, so why don't you explain to me why she would just leave me here and…and…" The blonde didn't have time to finish before she started to break down and cry.

Frynda, not sure why she did so, hurriedly wrapped her arms around the emotional girl's shoulders and held her tight while she sobbed into her chest. Glinda didn't fight or protest, instead just let the younger girl hold her, knowing quite well that if Elphaba should appear right there and then, the green woman would have gotten the wrong idea.

Glinda realized this and gently pushed her away. "I'm so sorry, Frynda," she sniffled. "I feel so jumbled up right now, I don't know whether I should just scream or run around in circles in my frustration."

Frynda stayed silent, knowing Glinda was just venting to her.

"All I want is just Elphie to be here with me, but it seems every time I try to get close to her, she ends up leaving me."

With a sob she added, "And I can't help but think if that will be the last time I see her. She's left me alone too many times and I don't know if I can cope. Frynda, I don't know what to do. My head hurts and I feel like throwing up again."

Frynda closed her eyes and wished she was anywhere but here. She had never been good at solving problems, let alone those between relationships. "Try to go back to sleep, Glinda," she told her soothingly. "I'm going to go find Elphaba and bring her up here."

She gingerly placed a hand on Glinda's bare back as she helped settle her back into the bed. The blonde wiped away her tears with the back of her hand as she smiled up at Frynda, the kind of smile that still sent flutters to her heart.

"Thank you, Frynda," she said. "You've always been so nice to me. It's just your sister's so…"

"Shh," Frynda whispered to her and gently tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. It was that simple action that made her want to look over her shoulder, just to make sure they were alone. Instead she looked into those earnest baby blue eyes and said,

"I'll be back."

Without another word, she left Glinda to her own thoughts, closing the door softly behind her.

The red-skinned girl then leaned against the wooden door, breathing heavily. Why was she still feeling this way towards Glinda? She thought she had made it clear to Elphaba that she no longer cared for her blonde girlfriend.

_Damn these stupid feelings_, Frynda thought angrily to herself.

First Glinda, then Kora and now Glinda again.

_There must be something wrong with me,_ Frynda told herself. _This is definitely _not _normal._

She left in search of Elphaba, sniffing back the tears that had developed the corner of her amber eyes.

***

Bolynda looked at her mother, her jaw going slack. Who would've thought that the Great Witch herself was going to show up at the Green Palace…in _Oz _nonetheless?!

"Bolynda," Melena repeated, straightening her posture. "I thought I would find you here."

Razaf took turns looking at both Melena and Bolynda. He would have never thought for a second that the pale woman standing by the door would be the mother of the girl he loved. His emerald gaze finally rested on Bolynda, who looked as if she had seen a ghost.

And she might as well have. It wasn't that the woman she had been trying to get away from come after her. No, it was that the very same woman looked…_relieved_ to see her.

"Thank the Named God I found you," Melena breathed. She wanted to reach up and hug her obviously stunned daughter, but the look on her blue-skinned face told her otherwise.

"W…what are you doing here?" Bolynda managed to choke out.

"What in Zo are you talking about, Bolynda?" Melena asked her, drawing back. "I'm your mother. I was worried for you so I came here to find you. And don't give me that look. I have a right to be worried about you."

"So you came across two different worlds to find me?" Bolynda asked her incredulously. "Should I be scared?"

Melena looked confused for a second before her face clouded over.

"_Bolynda!_" Melena snapped, startling her daughter. "You don't know what I've gone through in order for me to come and find you! You had me past frantic from the moment I heard you supposedly became 'Magic Grand Vizier!' What were you _thinking _whenyou came over here to Oz?"

"We don't have _time_ for this, mother!" Bolynda argued, pulling Razaf towards her by his arms. "I don't know how you got here, but we happen to have a certain maniacal woman looking for us—"

"Oh, yes, Morrible," Melena said quickly. "We have to get out of here."

Bolynda raised a brow, wondering how her mother knew the name of the new Empress of Oz.

"So I would appreciate it if you would leave us alone." Bolynda spat out the last word and Melena looked as if someone had just slapped her across the face. Her pale face then shadowed with determination.

"Now you just wait a tick tock, Bolynda," Melena said forcefully, her voice beginning to shake. "Don't you _dare_ think you are getting away from me that easily again. I understand that you and I are not exactly friends, but I am your mother. And for the Named God's sake, there is _no way_ that I'm letting you out of my sight again."

Razaf noticed the conviction in this strange woman's voice and he tugged on the blue-skinned hand that held him firmly in place. "Bo," he whispered in her ear. "I think you should listen to her."

"Are you _crazy?_" Bolynda screeched, causing him to flinch. "Razaf, she's the very _reason_ I left Zo!"

Bolynda noticed the look of dismay that crossed her mother's face and she turned around so she stood face-to-face with the pale-skinned woman.

"That's right, _mother_," she sneered straight into her mother's face. "_You_ are the very reason I left. You thought you could have us locked up in that Palace forever, didn't you? Well, not me! So I did what I had to do. I came here, had a few adventures and guess what? I fell in love too."

Melena shot a look at Razaf's direction before focusing back to Bolynda.

"Yes, I love him," Bolynda said and linked her arm through Razaf's. "I have never known the kind of love he has shown me back at home, mother."

Melena looked at the ground guiltily and then back up into her daughter's blue eyes. "But what about your sisters?" she asked her.

"My sisters don't care much for me either," Bolynda responded airily.

"You see, _that's_ where you've got it wrong, Bolynda," Melena said, pointing a finger at her daughter's chest. "I know Frynda would give an arm and a leg just to know that you are safe. And even Zafryna—"

"_Zafryna?_" snorted Bolynda. "I know for a _fact _thatshe wouldn't have minded if I had gone and killed myself somewhere."

"I didn't raise you to be this way," Melena said, her voice shaking. "You have grown to be selfish, intolerant young woman. I thought you might have changed for the better, but I guess not. Bolynda, I don't know what has gotten into you, but let me make one thing clear. I am not and_ will_ not leave you here to face Morrible alone."

"But I'm not alone," argued Bolynda before Melena raised a hand to stop her.

"You both are obviously not too skilled in magic," she said and looked at Razaf. "No offence."

"None taken," he said, raising his brows at Bolynda. Why was she being such a bitch to her own _mother? _This made him divulge into a whirlwind of thoughts and doubts about the young woman standing next to him.

"Mother, go back to where you came from," Bolynda said. "I can handle this."

"No," Melena argued hotly. "Not until I know you're safe. You might not see that as important, but _I _do."

"All I've ever wanted was some freedom," Bolynda said. "And I've got plenty of that here in Oz."

"Bolynda, have you ever even _been_ outside this Palace yet?"

The blue-skinned girl just stared at her, the venom in her eyes as clear as day.

Melena nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I rest my case."

Just then there came a pounding on the door.

All of the people on the room froze.

It seemed Morrible had found them once again.


	60. Chapter 60

**Okay, I'm not going to waste any of your time by making you read this ridiculous bold heading-thing saying that I really, really appreciate your reviews-**

**Oh...I guess I already did. :P**

**Enjoy this new chapter, everyone! :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 60

Adagio stared at the newcomers, his brown eyes examining them as they conferred with each other near the entrance to the Red Palace. The winged Horse had resorted to practicing his landings as a way to pass the time, seeing that Elphaba wasn't going to come back to him anytime soon.

"What do you want?"

That snapped him out of his reverie. Adagio looked at the Horse who had spoken. It was the white one, Axem.

"Well?" Axem quipped, prancing on his hooves impatiently.

"Nothing," Adagio answered, flicking his ears forward. "I was just looking at the grass patch next to you."

"Bullshit," Axem said as he galloped to where Adagio stood, his buddy, Utik, following closely. "I know a liar when I see one. You wanna go?"

"Go?" Adagio asked in confusion. "Go where?"

Axem snorted and looked at his companion. "He asked me 'go where'! Hah!"

Utik snickered. "You don't go anywhere with this, birdie. Unless you wanna go down."

"Down, down," Axem sneered. "Down six feet under."

Adagio flicked his gaze from Axem to Utik, then back to Axem again. "I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying…"

"You wanna fight, birdie?" Axem snorted in the black Horse's face. "'Cause the way you were staring at us kinda tells me that."

"I do not want to fight with you," Adagio said calmly, wondering why his brethren would ever want to pick a fight with him for seemingly no reason. "And my expression usually does not depict what I feel or think."

"Oh, we have a smart ass here, Utik," Axem nickered to his partner.

"Are you calling me a donkey?" Adagio asked him, his nostrils flaring in anger.

Both Axem and Utik looked confused for a second, and then Axem smiled and nodded.

"Why yes, yes I am," the white Horse answered boldly. He took a step towards Adagio and leaned close to his face. "What are you going to do about it, birdie?"

"I have already tolerated you both calling me a bird," Adagio growled, "but I draw the line when you call me a donkey."

"Ooh, lookie that, Utik," Axem sneered to the blue-gray Horse beside him. "Not only is he a smart ass, he's also a _creative_ ass! He can draw!"

"That's it!" Adagio hissed, flapping his wings a few times in his frustration. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"

"Bring it on, birdie!" Axem taunted, scraping the earth with his hoof in a very bull-like fashion. Utik pranced a few feet away, eager for some entertainment.

Adagio was about to do something he was sure he would regret later when a harsh sound stopped him. All three of the Horses fell silent, wanting for it to sound again.

Sure enough, it did.

It was a scream.

Someone was in trouble and it sounded like it was Glinda.

***

Elphaba felt like her body was being stretched out in all different directions. When her body finally hit solid ground, she wasn't even sure if she was still alive. A sudden stab of pain on her side told her otherwise and she rolled unto her back, grimacing.

A loud _'thump'_next to her made her turn her head. Zafryna was lying next to her, her hand gripped tightly on Elphaba's arm. The yellow-skinned girl's face was scrunched up, as if she had just tasted a lemon. Her eyes then opened to reveal emerald orbs that started straight into Elphaba's brown gaze.

"It worked," Zafryna breathed and let go of Elphaba's arm.

The green woman let out a huff and got on her knees. She rubbed the back of her head with her hand and groaned.

Zafryna followed suit and started to examine their surroundings. It seemed that they had landed in some sort of prison cell. She flushed a little, remembering this was the place where she had seen the man she supposedly fell for in her looking glass back in Zo. She shook her head, wiping away that ridiculous notion.

_I am not the type of girl to fall for someone like that,_ she thought. _That's Bolynda's job, not mine._

Elphaba slowly got up and turned to Zafryna, who looked up at her with eyes that pleaded a silent _'please don't yell at me'. _

"Zafryna, what the hell just happened to me?" she asked in the most level voice she could muster at the moment. The yellow-skinned girl gulped and stood so she could meet her sister's dominant gaze.

"Elphaba, I have Teleported you to Oz," she said calmly. When Elphaba started to react, she placed both her hands on the green witch's bony shoulders. "Elphaba, listen to me, please. I had no other choice. We need to get Melena back whether we like it or not."

"This is absurd!" Elphaba spat in her face, brushing away her sister's restraining hands. "I told you I didn't want to go! What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Help me?" Zafryna asked.

"Oh my Oz," Elphaba breathed, burying her face in her hands. "Glinda will absolutely _explode _if not try to kill herself once again." She looked up at Zafryna, her eyes as cold as steel. "Did you know how fragile a state Glinda is in? She doesn't need this now. _I_ don't need this now."

"I understand that—"

"No you _don't!_" Elphaba said scathingly. "You don't understand _anything!_ Why couldn't you just take no for an answer?"

"Because you are the only one who could help me," argued Zafryna, her hands balling up to fists.

"Why couldn't you look into that stupid crystal ball of yours and find someone else?"

"It's a _looking glass_," Zafryna corrected tersely. "And I don't need to See to know that our mother is in trouble. We need to find her."

Elphaba shook her head. "Good luck with that," she snarled, "because I am not going anywhere_ near_ that woman ever again, do you understand me? _Do you understand me?_"

She had gotten so close to Zafryna that the younger woman could have felt the raw anger that emanated from the witch's verdant skin. Zafryna started to shake.

"Now I suggest you return me back to Zo and forget about all of this before I do something to you that you will_ really_ regret," Elphaba threatened, gripping her sister's arms so tightly that she cried out in pain.

"I-I can't do that," Zafryna sputtered, closing her eyes shut.

"Are those your last words?" Elphaba spat, her knuckles turning a light green by the sheer force of her anger.

"E-Elphaba—"

_Slap._

Elphaba raised her hand to slap the girl again, her eyes blazing. She watched as Zafryna stumbled backwards, grabbing her sore cheek. At first Elphaba had no intention of slapping her sister, but it seemed the anger that had long been held inside her had manifested itself into this rash act of violence.

"I didn't want to do that," Elphaba breathed, slowly lowering her hand, "but you had pushed me too far. What you have done is beyond words, Zafryna."

"I-I know," Zafryna stuttered, rubbing her sore cheek. She could have never guessed that the lanky woman standing before her could be so strong. "But I felt like I had no choice."

"No _choice_?" Elphaba hissed, causing Zafryna to flinch. "Don't give me that bullshit. _I _was the one that had no choice here, Zafryna. Either you bring me back to Zo or I will leave you here."

"You can't do that," Zafryna whimpered, her voice quivering.

"Oh yeah?" The green woman's face got so close that Zafryna could feel her hot breath on her cheek. "Just watch me."

With that, Elphaba spun on her heel and left the cell, leaving Zafryna alone.

"No," the yellow-skinned woman breathed. She stumbled forward a few steps, watching Elphaba's black, retreating form walk down the dimly lit corridor. "No, Elphaba!"

But Zafryna only heard her own voice echo back to her. Her shoulders slumped forwards as she buried her head in her hands.

She had just lost her only chance of survival in Oz.

***

Glinda stared up at the ceiling and counted the tiles for what seemed like the thousandth time. The feeling of nausea had gone away about fifteen minutes ago and now she felt another feeling creep up her spine.

Worry.

Where was Elphaba?

_How hard is it to find a green-skinned woman?_ Glinda thought angrily. She wrapped the bed sheets tighter around herself and bit her lip in order to keep from screaming out in frustration. Never in her short twenty-four years of life had she ever felt this confused.

_Why am I so sick?_ she thought. _And where's Elphie? Oh my Oz, I'm going to throw up again._

But instead of throwing up, Glinda just lay there, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of the robe she had stole from the closet just a few steps away from the bed. As her thoughts wandered, she felt her eyelids get heavy with exhaustion.

The door jiggled and opened just as she fell into a deep sleep.

***

Frynda knew she wasn't going to get to Elphaba anytime soon, so she went to the first person that would help her, or rather…first _Animal._

_Dr. Yanz could help explain what's wrong with Glinda,_ the red-skinned girl thought as she climbed down the staircase to the entryway. As she opened the door to the living room, the first thing she noticed was a sleeping Dr. Yanz draped over the sofa and Kora sitting at the other side, picking at her nails.

Kora looked up as Frynda closed the door behind her. "Oh," the younger girl mumbled. "It's you."

"Hi," Frynda said nervously. "Erm…how are you feeling?"

"Just chipper," Kora muttered sarcastically. She then gestured to the sleeping Gorilla on the couch. "She fell asleep just as I woke up. I have a feeling you just didn't come here to entertain me with your presence. What do you want?"

Frynda raised a brow at Kora's less-than-desirable attitude, but she decided to ignore it. "I was going to talk to Dr. Yanz, actually. How long do you think she'll be out?"

"Probably for another hour or so," replied Kora, shifting her violet gaze back to her nails. "I suggest you sit tight."

"I can't," Frynda said, shifting her weight nervously. "Uh…there's someone upstairs that needs her help, but I guess I can come at another time…"

"Oh?" Kora asked, looking back up at the red-skinned girl, her violet-colored eyes sparking with new interest. "Who?"

"Uh…it's just this girl, no one of any particular interest to you…or me, uh…"

"Frynda, you're not making any sense," Kora said, crossing her arms in front of her robe-covered chest.

"H-How do you know my name?" the sixteen-year-old asked, her amber eyes widening.

"I'm not stupid," Kora said dismissively. "And Dr. Yanz can't keep her big mouth shut for two seconds. I heard you gave me an…interesting resuscitation?" She raised an eyebrow at the older girl.

Frynda felt her head suddenly go lightheaded and she stumbled for a response. "Uh…uh…I-I gotta go."

Before Kora could stop her, the flustered girl fled the room, trying to cover the blush that had crept up unto her face. The fourteen-year-old girl was left standing there, scratching her head in confusion.

"I was going to say thank you," she whispered to herself. She then shrugged and sat back on the sofa, focusing her attention once again on her nails.

***

Fiyero felt like his head had been run over by a herd of buffalos. He groaned and opened his eyes, seeing a flourish of green fill his vision.

_So…much…green_, he thought tiredly. He let out a sigh and attempted to sit up, only to lay back down with a pained moan. He then heard footsteps and he turned his head to the side. He almost choked as he saw a black-clad figure walk towards him.

_E-Elphaba?_ he thought, his blue eyes opening wide. He struggled to form words as the green woman drew closer. He wanted to both scream and cry in his joy as he recognized the face of the woman he so desperately longed for and craved with every fiber of his being.

It seemed she was in some kind of hurry as she neared him. Her brown eyes were staring straight ahead and her black hair was flying wildly behind her. Her green skin was as vibrant as ever and Fiyero couldn't help but swoon at the sheer intensity of her beauty. From her solemn expression, he could tell she had something on her mind, as she usually did when they had been together for that brief period of time.

_She is just like how I remember her,_ he thought. He was about to call out her name when she walked straight past him, not even bothering to glance back.

Wait a tick tock.

She walked _straight past him._

"F-Fae," he called out weakly, but it seemed she didn't hear him. She kept walking straight ahead until he could see her form disappear among the throng of green. He literally sobbed as he struggled to get up. His head felt like it was going to explode and it seems his legs did not want to respond to his commands.

"Sh-shit," he hissed as he let himself lie back down against the floor. The effects of his concussion were taking a toll on him as he debated whether or not the vision of Elphaba had just been a dream.

_I'm having hallucinations,_ he thought. _That's it. She was just a hallucination._

He closed his eyes, the picture of Elphaba still lingering in his mind. A smile crept unto his lips.

_She might have just been a hallucination, but she was a_ sexy_ hallucination at that._

***

Elphaba had never been so furious in her life. Not even when she had found out the Wizard had used her for his own gain. No, this was worse.

_Much_ worse.

As she stormed through the winding corridors of Southstairs, she expertly dodged the guards that were posted there, having had the experience of dodging the dim-witted officers before. She didn't feel the least regretful of leaving Zafryna behind.

_The bitch deserved it,_ she thought as she slipped though the unguarded entrance of the prison. She quickly followed the shadows, melting into them whenever she had thought someone was near.

_Being dead has its advantages,_ she thought. _Nobody expects you to come around the corner anytime soon. _

She pressed herself against the corner as a guard made his way through the hall. He looked as if he was in a panic as he scurried past a hidden Elphaba. The woman's brown eyes followed the man as he disappeared around the curve of the hallway. She then resumed her trek through the Green Palace, noticing how empty it seemed.

_The Palace was never like this when I came to see it with Glinda,_ she thought. The thought of her blonde lover caused anger to boil at the pit of her stomach again, but she expertly kept it inside. She had other matters to focus on right now.

First of all, how to get back to Zo.

She knew Zafryna was her only hope, but she was just too overwhelmed to deal with her yellow-skinned sister. She needed to find another way…and fast.

Elphaba had been walking for a few minutes when she heard somebody call her name. Her pace faltered as she recognized the voice.

It was Fiyero.

_Don't stop, Elphaba,_ she thought feverishly, stepping up her pace. _Whatever you do, don't stop._

Soon she was well ahead of wherever Fiyero was. She breathed a sigh of relief. _Could he have recognized me? _she thought and looked down at her hands, which were clenched firmly at her sides.

_I'm green-skinned, of _course _he couldn't have recognized me, she_ thought sarcastically. _Oh, shit. This is _not _what I need right now. _

She hurried along the winding halls of the Palace, praying to every god she knew that Fiyero wouldn't pursue her. But if she had known her former boyfriend at all, he wouldn't give it a second thought.

It was a game of cat and mouse at the Green Palace.

And Elphaba was mouse.

***

Bolynda clung unto Razaf as Morrible pounded on the door.

"Come on out, kiddies," the older woman sneered, her voice piercing through the group like knives. "I know you're in there. You already found out a simple door like this cannot keep me barred for long."

"Oh sweet Oz," Razaf muttered. "We were too late. She used the locator charm."

Melena looked at the handsome young man, a brow raised. She wondered just how clever Morrible had gotten ever since she had been Headmistress at Shiz. It seems as if she can predict the future, she thought venomously.

"What are we going to do, Razaf?" Bolynda asked him worriedly. "I don't think I know any other spells and your magic—"

"Can't help us right now," Razaf finished for her.

"Bolynda, I am here to help you," Melena told her firmly. "If you would just let me, I would—"

"_Mother_," the blue-skinned girl started to whine before Razaf suddenly whirled her around in order to meet her blazing blue eyes. Bolynda was taken aback by his rash gesture and she froze in his grip, her eyes opening wide in shock.

"_Bolynda_," Razaf stressed to the younger girl, his emerald eyes burning into hers. "She could be our only chance. Whatever animosity you have towards her—just forget it now! We need her!"

"No, Razaf," Bolynda argued, breaking out of her trance. She tried to pull away from his strong grasp. "You don't understand—"

"Hurry!" Melena told them. "Morrible's just buying her time now. She's going to come in any second—"

"Bolynda—"

"_NO!_"

Bolynda finally wrenched free of Razaf's grasp. She stumbled a few steps away from him, her back hitting the wall behind her. "You don't _understand_, Razaf!" she hissed towards him. "I don't want to go back to Zo!"

Razaf was about to respond before Melena cut in.

"Bolynda, this has nothing to do with going back to Zo. This is about your safety and _his _safety!" Melena stepped closer to her daughter, who shot her an icy glare. "Didn't you say you love him?"

"I _do _love him," Bolynda shot back, stepping away from her mother and towards Razaf. "But what does that have to do with this?"

"I might not know much about love, Bolynda," Melena said quickly, anxiously looking at the door. Morrible had been awfully quiet for a while. "But I know one thing for sure. You would do anything for the one you love. That's why I came here. I love you, Bolynda. You're my daughter…my flesh and blood. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"Could you leave me alone?" Bolynda mumbled and Razaf cut her a scathing glare. Melena, however, chose to ignore it, no matter how much that wounded her already battered heart.

Melena rubbed her temple, a habit she had developed when under stress. "Bolynda, although it pains me to say this, I have to say it. You are just like me when I was young."

"This is pointless," Bolynda whispered to Razaf, who was alternating between watching the door and a tired-looking Melena. "Let's get out of here."

"Stop it, Bolynda," Razaf told her with conviction. The blue-skinned girl raised a brow at her love's sudden stubbornness. "Let her finish."

Melena looked at Razaf, surprise in her gray eyes. She liked this newfound love of her daughter's already. "Thank you, Razaf," she said, giving him a curt nod. She then turned to Bolynda, a new, hard look in her eyes.

"You have a wicked sense of love, Bolynda," she said to her.

"What?" Bolynda was confused.

"Here you are, in _mortal danger_, and all you can think about is whether or not you are going back to your own home?" Melena narrowed her eyes. "And here is this man, whom you claim to be in love with, and he's the one who has the most sense."

"What are you saying?" Bolynda seethed. "You are barely here for five minutes and you're saying that I don't love him?"

"You certainly don't show it," Melena said calmly.

"Well, you're wrong!" Bolynda argued fiercely. "I_ do _love him."

Suddenly there was a clapping sound. The three heads turned to see Morrible standing at the doorway, her hands clasped together.

"Oh, that was absolutely delightful," she sneered. "I hope you didn't mind if I…let myself in."

Guards appeared behind her, rifles pointed to the surprised group. Morrible let her gaze sweep around the faces in the room. First, Bolynda, who looked as if she was about to faint. Next was Razaf and then to a person she didn't recognize.

Wait…she_ did_ recognize her.

Peering closer, she could distinguish the features of a certain Melena Thropp, a student she had known from her former position as Headmistress of Shiz University.

And who also happened to be Munchkinland's Second Descending and mother to Elphaba Thropp.

"Well, well, well," Morrible said as she took a step towards Melena, who backed away uncertainly. "We meet again, Miss Thropp."


	61. Chapter 61

**Sorry this chapter took so long to be uploaded, guys. Between band and school, I don't have time to do much of anything. :(**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, though! :)**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 61

Zafryna had followed Elphaba until she had lost her in the confusing maze that made up Southstairs. She ran her fingers through her pale-yellow hair feverishly.

_Oh my Zo,_ she thought. _How am I supposed to find my way out of this?_

She wandered around the corridors, noticing the curious eyes of guards that followed her every move. She came unto another dead end as a guard walked up to her from behind.

"Uh, miss…?"

She jumped, startled by the man. She whirled around and came face-to-face with a bewildered looking Gale Force guard. She slowly removed the hand that clutched her rapidly beating heart.

"O-oh, I'm sorry," Zafryna stammered, avoiding his gaze. "You startled me."

"I can see that," the guard chuckled good-naturedly. "Did you lose your way, miss?"

Zafryna gave him a small nod. "I…I don't know where I am."

"Well, it's very unfortunate that you wandered over here," he said, fixing his green uniform jacket. "Would you like me to show you out?"

"Oh, I would like that very much," Zafryna replied earnestly, glad to have found such a helpful guard.

"The Green Palace entrance is not that far from here. Follow me." The guard gave her a curt nod and disappeared into the dim-lighted corridor.

Zafryna struggled to keep up with him while looking over her shoulder every once in a while. For some reason, this place made her feel nervous and ill at ease.

"I'm glad I found you," the guard told her after a minute or two of silent walking. "Or else you would have been mistaken for a prisoner. Southstairs is a very complicated place…easy to get lost in."

"I know that now," Zafryna said. "Thank you so much, sir."

The guard just smiled at her as they neared the entrance to the prison. Zafryna blinked at all the green she saw at the hallway that expanded before her. _Wow,_ she thought. _This is different from all the red that I am used to back in Zo._

The Ozian guard kept smiling at her when they stopped at the entrance. "This is where I must leave you."

Zafryna returned his smile with an uneasy grin. "Thank you again."

"Now don't you go in there again, miss, lost or not. I don't want to see someone as pretty as you getting into trouble." The guard tipped his hat and left just as Zafryna felt a blush coming unto her face.

_I'm pretty?_ she asked herself. She then sighed, shrugged her shoulders and started to walk down the unfamiliar emerald-green hallway. For some reason, she was reminded of the Red Palace back in her homeland of Zo.

_Could there be some similarities between Oz and Zo?_ she thought. She shook her head. _I don't know. Melena might, though._

Thinking of her mother, she walked a little faster, passing by several people who stared at her through wide, fearful eyes. She didn't know it was about her that could have caused such a reaction, but she just kept walking on, ignoring the hushed whispers about her odd-colored skin.

Out of her two—_no, wait,_ she thought. _Three now…or is it four?_ Zafryna shook her head. She had too many siblings to count. She knew that out of her sisters that she was the only one that had skin that looked almost normal…well, as normal as yellow skin can get.

Just then something out of the corner of her eye broke her reverie. She spotted a man in a dark corner just a few steps away from where she stood. This hallway was empty of people, so she stepped closer to him, her head tilted curiously.

He looked like he was struggling to get up, his face frowning in pain. With a jolt, she realized this was the man that she had seen in her looking glass not too long ago! She felt her heart starting to pound and her palms starting to get sweaty.

She debated with herself whether to run away or help him. Her inner nature screamed at her to help him, while her heart told her to flee. In the end, she approached the man and knelt before him, getting his attention. His blue eyes pierced into hers and he opened his mouth in a silent gasp.

"W-who are you?" he managed to spurt out, recoiling away from her. This maneuver caused his face to be illuminated by a stream of light, enabling Zafryna to examine his handsome features. Despite the swelling that was developing on his forehead, she could tell that this was the same man that she had seen in her looking glass. The same blue tattoos ran across his forehead, neck and arms. He wore the same green uniform, even down the 'OZ' sign on his belt.

"Get away from me," the man spat at her.

"I…I don't mean you any harm, sir," Zafryna stuttered. "But it looks like you could use some help."

"I'm fine," the man hissed and struggled to get up once again. With a groan he sat back down, rubbing his forehead. "Damn this stupid headache."

Zafryna raised a brow and looked at his dark-skinned hand, which he pressed to the large bruise on his forehead. The blue tattoos almost seemed to glow underneath the light and she felt her already rapidly beating heart miss a beat or two.

"Here," she said, gently touching his arm. "Let me help you."

"I already told you—"

Zafryna then closed her eyes, focusing her magic on the bruise that was giving the man pain. She felt her energy drain rapidly and she stuttered over her words, but she worked her healing magic perfectly, as usual.

Fiyero blinked as the pain in his head started to recede. He noticed the strange woman's lips were moving rapidly and her fingers were making odd little shapes in the air. She then opened her emerald eyes, a little breathless.

"Better?" she asked him.

Fiyero just stared at her, his blue eyes as wide as twin moons.

"I'll take that as a yes," Zafryna chuckled. She then nervously adjusted the collar of her cloak, feeling an uneasy shiver as Fiyero's eyes examined her.

"Who_ are_ you?" he breathed.

"My name is Zafryna," the yellow-skinned woman answered. She contemplated telling the man about where she came from, but she quickly decided against it.

Fiyero raised a brow. "Fiyero Tiggular. Emperor…well, _former _Emperor of Oz." He extended a hand towards Zafryna and she hesitatingly took it, giving him a small smile.

"Nice to meet you, Master Fiyero," she whispered. "May I help you get up?"

She held unto his hand as she helped the man get to his feet. Fiyero let go of her hand as he fixed his grimy uniform. He then looked at the woman standing in front of him, her face half-hidden by the shadows.

"Thank you, Miss Zafryna," he said earnestly. "Y'know…for healing me."

"Oh, er, you're welcome," Zafryna replied, staring into his blue eyes. "It was no big deal, really."

"So you're magical?" Fiyero asked her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Zafryna blinked at him. "Magical? Well, I guess so. I am pretty good at casting spells if that's what you're referring to."

Fiyero's mind was working at a hundred miles per hour while Zafryna kept talking. This woman…Zafryna…reminded him so much of Elphaba it was uncanny. And to hear she was magical…it was worth a try.

"Miss Zafryna," Fiyero interrupted the yellow-skinned woman mid-sentence.

"Then—huh?" Zafryna blinked. "Yes, Master Fiyero?"

"Fiyero, please," the former Emperor said, waving his hand dismissively. "And…can I ask you a rather…_personal_ question?"

Zafryna's heart began to thud against her chest. "S-sure."

"Are you in any way related to Elphaba Thropp?"

Zafryna was clearly taken aback by this question. After a few moments, she gave him a small nod. "Yes, she's my sister."

Fiyero blinked in surprise. "Really?"

_I thought Fae only had Nessa as a sister!_ he thought incredulously. _She never told me she had another one!_

"Why are you asking me this?" Zafryna asked him. "Did you see her?"

"Are you looking for her?" Fiyero's hopes rose. Perhaps his vision of Elphaba _wasn't _a hallucination. Perhaps she was actually there, in person. This thought alone made his head reel.

"Actually, yes, yes I am." Zafryna's eyes widened. Maybe she didn't need Elphaba after all! Fiyero could be her guide around Oz!

"I _did _see her, Zafryna," Fiyero said, rapidly dropping the honorific. "And I happen to be looking for her too. I've been looking for her for a _long_ time but she got away from me before I could say anything."

"I must go with you, then," Zafryna said. "We can look for her together."

Fiyero nodded, smiling. In the back of his mind he silently rejoiced. This could be his chance! Elphaba could still be his!

_I'm coming for you, Fae,_ he thought as he started to lead Zafryna in the general direction where Elphaba went. _And this time you're in _my_ territory._

***

Shell wasn't sure why he had wanted to go to the Emerald City, but he knew he had to. After he had witnessed the pale-skinned woman whom he believed to be 'Jaslyn' kill the Minister, he knew something had to be done.

The sixteen-year-old leaned his head against the plush headrest, closing his eyes. He had made the emergency trip to the Emerald City without advising his elders, as he should have done. He did this out of his own accord. He knew he would be in heaps of trouble when he came back, but he felt that if he didn't find out where Elphaba was, he wouldn't live with himself for a very long time.

He had somehow linked Elphaba to the Emerald City. He knew his sister had always wanted to go there, so he had every reason to believe she was within the city limits.

_How hard is it to find a green woman?_ he asked himself. He then thought about this. _Well, in a city that's green, it'll be kinda hard. _

The wagon bumped and rocked as it clambered over the Yellow Brick Road. Shell could feel a wave of claustrophobia start to hit, but he forced himself to stay in his seat. He nervously played with his fingers and he looked at the book next to him.

It was Elphaba's journal. He had kept it after 'Jaslyn' had given it to him. He had read a couple of more entries ever since the guards had taken the pale woman away for interrogation. Now it was his only hope of finding his sister.

He hoped Elphaba could help him find the pale-skinned woman. If what she had told him was true, then Elphaba should have no trouble in locating the woman she had supposedly hired to deliver the journal to him.

Then Shell removed his cap and scratched the back of his head. _Why does this have to be so complicated? _he thought. _First I get this journal from my sister and then the Minister dies from the lady who gave it to me. Oh, I hope Elphaba can help me. _

He then glanced at the leather-bound journal.

_That is,_ he thought, _if I can _find _her first._

***

Inett leaned against the wall, panting. She had been running until she was sure Elphaba couldn't have possibly kept up with her. Now, as she tried to regain her breath, she noticed that she was alone in the hallway.

_By the Named God_, she thought. _She…she's like an animal._

She briefly remembered that Zafryna had chased after them, probably determined to put a stop to Elphaba's pursuit. _Oh, I do hope she's alright, _Inett thought worriedly, concerned for her friend. But in the years she had known the yellow-skinned woman, she came to know that whenever Zafryna saw something she didn't like, she would try to put a stop to it whatever way possible.

When Inett's breathing became somewhat normal, she set out to find where Zafryna and Elphaba might have run off to. The brunette walked along the empty hallway, feeling completely and utterly alone.

Suddenly she thought of Glinda. The image of the blonde's face entered her mind and she couldn't help but frown with disdain. She recalled making Glinda's stew and having slipped in the Miracle Elixir at Zafryna's request. She would have never dreamed that it would evoke such a reaction from Elphaba.

Muttering quietly to herself, she decided she would visit the kitchen and grab the elixir, just to investigate it further. On her way there, she could notice the eerie silence that had come upon the Palace, as if time had stopped.

"Um, excuse me,"

The small voice made her jump. She turned around and saw a little boy looking up at her. No, wait…it wasn't a boy. Inett could see the green skin and she figured this was either Elphaba's son or an elf.

She rapidly guessed an elf.

"Are you Inett?" the small creature asked her, his high-pitched voice ringing in her ears.

The brunette could feel her heart start to pound in her chest as she panicked. After all, it wasn't every day that you see an elf wandering around the Red Palace.

Mantu noticed the hesitation flickering in the young girl's hazel eyes and he sighed inwardly. He was expecting this to happen. "It's okay, ma'am," he told her reassuringly. "I'm harmless. I promise."

"Who are you?" Inett asked him shakily.

"I am Mantu, from the Never-Ending Forest," the elf replied. "I came with Frynda."

"Oh." The faint sound left Inett's lips as she remembered that the red-skinned girl had come back. From the fond way he had whispered Frynda's name, Inett assumed that Mantu must have had helped her when she had been adventuring throughout Zo.

"So…Inett?" Mantu was hoping he had gotten the right girl. He remembered Glinda murmuring something about a brunette and her tainted stew, so he could only conclude that this was the very same person the blonde was talking about.

"Yes, that is me," Inett finally managed to say. She felt Mantu's inquisitive bright-green eyes bore into hers and she couldn't suppress a shiver that made its way up her spine.

"I need to talk to you," Mantu said and without hesitation, he took her hand and started to lead her further into the dark hallway.

Inett tried hard not to pull away from the elf's grip. "W-what do you mean?" she asked him, her voice strained.

Mantu didn't respond as he dragged her into a dark corner. There he let go of Inett's hand and stared up at her, his mouth pulled down in a forceful grimace.

"Inett, I think you have done a very, very bad thing."

Inett was taken aback by the elf's sudden accusation. "I don't believe I'm following you," she said, quite offended.

"I know you slipped something into Glinda's stew, didn't you?"

The brunette blinked. How did he know…?

"Tell me, Inett. What _exactly_ did you slip into Glinda's stew?" Mantu sounded worried.

"I-I'm not sure," Inett stammered. "Z-Zafryna told me to—"

"Show me," the elf said quickly, grabbing Inett's hand and tugging on it again. "I need to know."

Inett reluctantly nodded and started to lead him towards the kitchen, not knowing why the strange elf was curious on something he wasn't even involved in. She pulled him inside the kitchen and closed the door behind him, afraid that Elphaba might have escaped Zafryna and was still looking for her. The uncomfortable feeling that was forming at the pit of her stomach grew as she looked for the green bottle.

She finally found it where she had last put it an hour ago, on top of the cupboard by the sink. The bottle's bright green hue glared accusingly into Inett's vision as she picked it up, wincing slightly. She knew whatever was wrong with Glinda was her fault.

She handed the bottle to Mantu as if touching it burned her. The elf took it with wide eyes, his jaw going slack. Could this be…no, it couldn't be…

His heart sank as he looked up at Inett, his hands starting to shake. The bottle nearly fell to the floor as he stammered,

"Inett…oh, Inett…"

"What's wrong?" Inett didn't really have to ask him. She could see it in the way his green skin clammed up and his eyes flickered wildly between the bottle in his hand and the floor underneath him.

"I…I think…"

Inett had to take the Miracle Elixir from his trembling hands in order to avoid it falling unto the floor. The elf looked as if he was about to have some sort of fit and Inett was concerned for her safety. She looked around, her eyes searching for the quickest exit.

"I…"

Mantu's voice had gone from his usual, shrill soprano to a squeak. He stared at the green, glass bottle in Inett's hand and he felt his head suddenly go lightheaded. It seemed that his previous assumptions were true.

Inett was about to bolt right out of the door before the elf tugged on her skirt. She looked down and was met with bright green eyes full of dread.

"Inett, I think Glinda might be pregnant."


	62. Chapter 62

**Hey, everyone! Sorry for the long wait. :(**

**But here's the new chapter!**

**Enjoy! :D**

**-Essence**

* * *

Chapter 62

Elphaba looked over her shoulder for what seemed like the hundredth time. Who knew that being in the very same place she had once revered would be having her feeling uneasy like this? The Green Palace was like an enormous scrapbook. Memories floated down the hall as she walked down them, recalling the too-brief visit she and Glinda had made here only a few years ago…back when they still thought the Wizard was wonderful.

_Not now, Elphaba_, Elphaba told herself when she felt hot fury start to pit at the bottom of her stomach. She quickly adjusted the hood of her cloak so her verdant skin wouldn't be so noticeable to passersby. But it seemed that the passersby were in too much of a hurry to notice her or her verdant skin.

People flew past her, their shoes clicking noisily against the tiled floor. Elphaba couldn't help but smirk. In a place where she had been once stared at for her skin was now a place she could blend perfectly without getting noticed. However…

There was always that _one _person who has to blow her cover.

"Hey, look, Mommy!"

A young girl tugged at the end of her mother's skirt. A small finger pointed at the hooded figure just a few feet away from them. There was no mistaking the green flash of skin that appeared from the brim of the hood, those entrancing hazelnut-colored eyes…

"Hush, hun," the girl's mother shushed her, causing Elphaba to exhale the breath she didn't even realize she was holding in the first place. The older woman tugged the child away from the green woman's view, disappearing quickly into the throng of people around them.

_I've never thought I'd say this, but thank Oz for ignorance,_ Elphaba thought to herself as she slipped into the space between two towering, emerald columns that were part of the many that lined up regally along the sides of the expansive hall. In the brief reprieve the darkness provided her, the witch contemplated what to do next.

_Okay, Elphaba,_ she told herself. _You have to get back to Zo. Think…think…ah!_

A smile tugged on the corner of her lips as a brilliant idea flashed through her mind. She had never been one to get excited over something so trivial like books, but since she was Elphaba Thropp, the girl who used to lose herself in them (not to mention she sill does from time to time), she only had an Oz-given _right_ to be excited.

_Oh my Oz,_ she thought_. The Library! I bet I could find something there! I'll bet the Wizard kept a secret spell book or something in there…something close to the Grimmerie. If he wasn't as stupid back then as he'd led me to believe he is today, I'm sure he's got something in there that can help me._

She shuddered as she pictured the man that she hated with every fiber of her being. Only up until a few hours ago had he been her worst enemy. Now, he was…

She wanted to retch.

Her _father. _

_I…I can't…no, I _will not_ let myself believe that that hideous, vile man actually helped give life to me. No…Elphaba, stop it,_ she thought to herself angrily. _You have to focus._

_Glinda. _

She relaxed as the ugly picture of the Wizard disappeared from her mind and was replaced by the beautiful image of her blonde lover. She pictured her lying on the bed just how she had left her, sleeping peacefully and mumbling incoherent nothings into her pillow.

_She has probably woken up by now,_ Elphaba thought, wincing slightly as she pictured Glinda's pretty face darkening in anger when she found out Elphaba had left her yet again.

_This time who _knows_ what will be in store for me when I get back,_ the green woman thought. _That is…_

Elphaba dared to poke her head out of the protection of the columns, her heart sinking with dread at the multitude of people that had seemingly sprung out of nowhere. She started to hear the all-too-familiar chants of the Witch Hunters in the back of her mind and a cold sweat started to collect at the back of her neck.

…_that is_ _if I get back _alive_. _

***

Frynda fled up the flight of stairs, wanting nothing more than to escape her own hurricane of emotions.

_Why, why, why?_ she asked herself continuously, the tears streaming down her face. She had planned to go into her own room, wishing to vent this out in private, but she found herself turning the knob to Glinda's room.

Before she could stop herself, she stepped inside, not surprised to see the blonde up and looking out the window to the courtyard below.

"Let me guess," Glinda said dully, without even turning to look to see who came into her room. "You didn't find her."

"Glinda," Frynda said, her voice low. "She's not here. Zafryna must have taken her somewhere else…I'm sorry—"

"_Oz damn it!_"

Frynda wasn't prepared for the shriek that accompanied the curse as Glinda flung herself unto the bed, beating the mattress with her small fists as she sobbed into the sheets.

"The one thing I ask of her," the blonde lamented, her voice muffled by the sheets she was rapidly soaking with her tears, "The one thing I ask of her and she goes around and wipes her ass with it! What am I supposed to do _now?!_"

Frynda was about to respond when Glinda suddenly pushed herself off the bed, her blue eyes as wide as saucers. She slowly turned her head towards the befuddled teenager standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"I know what's going on," she said quietly. The blonde then inhaled, held it for a bit, and then exhaled shakily. She closed her eyes and went over to the closet by the side of the bed.

Frynda could only stare at her, wondering what Glinda could have possibly come up with to explain the situation.

"She could have just told me," Glinda mumbled as she opened the wooden door to the closet, looking through its meager contents.

Frynda couldn't take it anymore. "Glinda, what are you doing?"

"Surely you people must have_ something_ to get me out of this uncomfortable, itchy robe."

"Um…" Frynda wasn't sure whether or not she should go along with whatever Glinda was doing, but she reluctantly complied, figuring she couldn't help herself even if she tried.

"Here," she said, gently touching the blonde's arm. "Follow me to my room. I think I have something that could fit."

If Glinda ever felt the touch, she didn't respond. Her jaw was squarely set and her muscles seemed to twitch underneath the pale skin that seemed all too thin for Frynda's liking.

"Thank you." Glinda's words sounded robotic as she shuffled after Frynda. The red girl led her to her room and shut the door after the stoic blonde. Frynda could only stare in worry as Glinda led herself to the edge of Bolynda's bed, softly fingering the light blue bedspread.

"I had thought better of her, I really did. But leaving me like this was just a slap in the face and this time I'm not going to take it so lightly."

Frynda just listened as she went through her closet to find the old, gray outfit she had outgrown a year ago that would fit the blonde. It wasn't anything that could remotely be called "pretty", but it would have to do for now. She hurriedly pulled it off the hanger and gave it to Glinda.

At first it seemed like the blonde didn't know why Frynda was handing her a pair of raggedy-looking clothes, but after a few moments it dawned on her. She slowly removed the garments from the sixteen-year-old's possession and just stared at it hanging limply from her pale hands.

Frynda backed away, her brows furrowing together as she tried to decipher through Glinda's irrational behavior. It seemed as though Glinda was somewhere else right now.

_Elphaba-land most likely,_ Frynda thought grimly.

As Glinda started to take off the robe, Frynda caught herself staring. The blood quickly rushed to her cheeks as she looked away, embarrassed. It seemed as if Glinda didn't care that she had an audience to her undressing.

"Um, I'm gonna go now," Frynda stammered and did a complete about-face when Glinda let out a whine. Frynda forced herself not to look back, no matter how much she wanted to.

"No, Frynda, stay…" came Glinda's pitiful voice from behind her.

Frynda's brow rose. That was the first time the blonde had actually said her name throughout the whole conversation. A brief internal struggle occurred between her heart and conscience but she knew that her conscience would eventually win in the end.

The red-skinned girl slowly turned around and came face-to-face with Glinda. The blonde was clad only in her bra and panties and she was shivering violently, as if she was having some sort of fit. She gazed deep into Frynda's amber eyes, hoping, wishing, wanting to feel anything…_anything_ to take away this numbness that now crept into her very soul.

Unaware of what she as doing, Glinda's hand crept up to Frynda's cheek, cupping it.

As soon as Glinda's dainty hand touched her skin, fireworks started to explode in Frynda's head. Her breath started to quicken and it seemed as if time had stopped and it was just the two of them here in this room, so very close…

"Frynda," Glinda whispered. "Why is it that every time I need her, you're here instead?"

Frynda couldn't respond. Glinda's touch was intoxicating her to speechlessness.

The hand crept towards a red-skinned ear, then neck. Sweat started to collect on Frynda's forehead, her eyes darkening with the certain feeling only Glinda's touch could induce.

"It must be a sign," Glinda said, her hand stilling for a moment as she pondered over her words. "It's funny, really. At least this time I know what I'm feeling."

"Feeling?" Frynda managed to gulp as she saw Glinda lean just a fraction closer. The red-skinned girl started to ache in places that have never ached before. "Oh my Zo," she breathed, Glinda's strawberry-like scent wafting around her, heightening her already heightened senses.

"Yes, feeling." Glinda slowly tilted her head to the side, either to get a better look at her or kiss her, Frynda wasn't sure.

And she definitely wasn't prepared to find out.

As Glinda leaned forward just a bit, Frynda felt her blood turn ice cold. This was wrong.

She had to get away. She had to escape.

Glinda noticed Frynda's hesitation and quickly placed both her hands on the teenager's red-skinned cheeks. "Frynda, look at me."

The teenager had no choice but to look deep into those entrancing baby blue eyes, quickly losing the last bit of resolve she had left.

"I know that look," Glinda whispered, using a finger to trace the barely visible worry lines on Frynda's forehead. "Elphie gets it all the time…"

She then stopped herself, quickly hissing, "Get a grip on yourself, Glinda. It's clear she doesn't care for you anymore."

That snapped Frynda out of her trance. She hurriedly grabbed Glinda's hands and gently pushed them away from her face. "Glinda," the younger girl said. "That's not true. Elphaba loves you."

"No, she doesn't." Glinda brushed her hands away from Frynda's strong grip. She then narrowed her eyes at the girl, as if she was daring Frynda to question her judgment, which only led the red-skinned girl to question her _sanity._

"Don't be ridiculous," Frynda argued, masking the hurt her words were causing to her battered heart. But she knew she had to put a stop to Glinda's obvious advances. It was not only wrong, but it was painfully clear that she wasn't ready for this. She was still too young.

"Frynda, are you rejecting my advances?" Glinda hissed at her.

Frynda didn't respond and just stood there like a statue, her amber eyes staring straight at the petit blonde fuming right in front of her.

"How strange!" Glinda took a step towards the obviously conflicted girl and grabbed her hand forcefully. "It seemed to me just a few days ago that you would have begged to have me in your arms."

Frynda's blood turned icy as the blonde's nails dug into her skin. She backed away, the shadows in the room playing tricks with her red colored skin, giving her an ominous look. "How…how did you know that?"

"Honey, please, I may be a blonde, but I'm not _stupid,"_ Glinda huffed, giving her hair a flip. "Or blind either. For your information, this is the very same woman who had once played with men's hearts as if they were mere playthings. Yours is no different."

Frynda wasn't sure if she should be shocked or offended that Glinda just called her a man. She then settled for the lesser of two evils.

"Glinda, Elphaba loves you."

"And so do you."

Frynda raised a brow. How can Glinda be so wrong and so…_right_ at the same time?

"Glinda…I would do anything for you, I would really do, but there's someone else who would clearly die for you over and over again—"

Glinda scooted closer to her, making her feel all jittery again. The blonde clearly was aware of the effect her presence was having on Frynda and was using it to her full advantage.

"But, Frynda," Glinda whispered, leaning towards the younger girl's ear. "So would you. Wasn't it only a few hours ago that you rescued me from the Wizard?"

"I didn't die," Frynda argued, but she knew her point was moot.

Glinda then looked at her incredulously. "Frynda, you repeatedly put yourself in danger for me."

"I would do the same for any one of my—"

Glinda looked at her.

"—sisters." Frynda finished her sentence with a gulp. The look Glinda was shooting at her was terrifying her beyond belief.

"But I'm not your sister." Glinda then shook her head and grabbed Frynda's chin, forcing the girl to look into her eyes. "Frynda, you are the worst liar I have ever met. You mask your desire so poorly I just might have to laugh. Please tell me, dear girl, do you want me?"

Frynda wanted to melt right there and then. "Y-yes," she breathed. "B-but I can't."

_Resist, Frynda!_ a voice screamed in her head. _Resist!_

Then another, less prominent voice whispered, _but this is what you've been waiting for all along…_

"Why not?" Glinda said, breaking Frynda out of her thoughts. "I'm right here and it's clear I want you too."

Frynda gulped._ Yeah_, she wanted to say. _But not for the right reasons!_

"What's stopping you?" Glinda's face was drawing ever closer to Frynda's at a pace the younger girl couldn't possibly keep up with.

"I…I…"

_Frynda! Resist!_

_She's right there! Here's your chance!_

_Frynda!_

_Frynda!_

"_Frynda!_"

Glinda's voice shattered her thoughts.

"Frynda, I am growing quite frustrated with you," the blonde hissed at her. "You're exactly like your sister! Stubborn like an Ozdamned jackass!"

"Glinda!" Frynda finally screamed, causing Glinda to flinch. "I can't do this! Can't you see? This can't work out! Not for you…not for me! Not for anyone!"

"I can make it work," Glinda said simply, as if Frynda just told her the sky was blue.

"You're not understanding me," Frynda told her through gritted teeth. "Think of Elphaba! She loves you, Glinda! Me…I'm not anything to you! _She_ is! She's the one for you!"

"I don't want to think of her!" Glinda yelled at her. "Frynda, I love _you_!"

Frynda 's heart trembled at her words, but she somehow managed to keep her withering resolve. "No you don't," she said coldly. "You love Elphaba."

"N…Not anymore," Glinda sniffled, the tears starting to make their way into her azure eyes.

"Don't give me that shit, Glinda Upland!" Frynda hissed, her use of an explicative surprising herself. "You love Elphaba and you know it!"

"I…"

Glinda suddenly collapsed into Frynda's arms, her bare skin feeling cold against the younger girl's ruby-colored skin. Frynda knew better than to give into Glinda's petty ruse to gain her sympathy, but when the sobs started to wrack the frail body in her arms, Frynda couldn't help but hold her close.

"Glinda," Frynda whispered into the hysterical girl's ear. "Glinda listen to me. Don't give up on Elphaba. She loves you so much. And you do too."

Glinda didn't respond and just kept sobbing, her hands clutching to Frynda's shirt tightly.

"And you were right. I _do_ love you, but I could never compare to the love my sister has for you. Yeah, I want you, but not in the way you want me too. Glinda, if we…if we ever are…_were_…something, you would be miserable."

Every word that came out of Frynda's mouth killed her a little inside, but she knew she was doing the right thing.

"Glinda, trust me when I say this. You and I…bad idea. Not only will I have an everlasting target on my head courtesy of my sister, but you will also kill yourself…inside. Please, don't make me think twice. I hate second guessing."

"Frynda, mff, mff mmf."

Glinda's voice was so muffled by the fabric of Frynda's shirt that the red-skinned girl could barely hear what the blonde said.

"What?"

"Frynda, you can let go of me now."

"Oh."

Frynda reluctantly released Glinda, who shuffled away from her and wrapped her arms around herself. She was shivering incessantly and her skin looked a little blue.

Frynda couldn't help but think of Bolynda, a sister she was sure she was never going to see again. She shook her head and gave a little sigh.

"I'm cold."

Glinda's soft whisper reached Frynda's ears a little too late. The blonde was up against the girl again, this time for warmth.

"Mm, you're warm," the blonde whispered. "It's that strange fire you keep inside all the time."

Frynda just raised a brow and hurriedly took of her cloak. "Here," she said to Glinda, offering the cloak. "This'll keep you warm."

"T-thanks," Glinda stuttered, her teeth clacking together in her seemingly never-ending shivers. She happily accepted the black cloak, reveling in the warmness that Frynda's body heat left there. She then looked pleadingly up at the younger girl, her blue eyes piercing and as sharp as ever.

"Frynda, I can't feel anything."

"You're just numb from the cold," Frynda said dismissively, glad that the drama between her and the blonde was over. She didn't know how wrong she was…

"It's not the cold," Glinda said softly and gripped the edges of the cloak, pulling it tighter around herself. "It's the numbness you get after you realize you can't fix everything with just a wave of a sparkly wand."

Frynda looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Frynda, I have always been able to keep everything in order, everything under my wing. Disorder, to me, was a sin. Now that my life is spiraling out of control, I can't help but feel numb. I might as well feel nothing than this wretched pain."

"Oh Glinda." Frynda dared to put her hands on Glinda's still-shivering shoulders, rubbing them for warmth. "Why so pessimistic? Elphaba will return, I know it."

"See? There's the optimism that I can't handle!" Glinda hissed. "'Everything's going to be alright!' 'Don't worry, there's always tomorrow!' Oh, I'm so sick and _tired _of that crap! I have always been forced to tell that to people I knew had no hope. Even…"

Glinda closed her eyes.

"Even Elphaba. Back when we were roommates at Shiz, I knew she had no hope for a place in society. But there I was, right next to her, a fake smile plastered on my face and a cheery 'You'll be popular!'"

"But Glinda," Frynda countered. "Elphaba told me you were Glinda the Good—"

"Yeah, Glinda the _No_ Good," Glinda spat out. "Giving everyone false hope! For what? A world where dreams are crushed and aspirations flattened! Frynda, I was never good. Not at all. Elphaba was the one who did all the good. I was just a fake. A pretty doll meant just to smile and wave."

"That's not true," Frynda argued fiercely. "They didn't call you good for nothing!"

"It's just a stupid honorific," Glinda said testily. "An undeserving name the people of Oz gave to me."

Frynda sighed. "_Not true_, Glinda," she said firmly.

"Oh, but how true it is!" Glinda gave a tiny laugh, one that caused a shiver to run down Frynda's spine. "You know your deceased sister Elphaba told you about?"

Frynda scratched the top of her head as she struggled to remember. "Um, Nessarose?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's the one. Guess what? I killed her."

Glinda laughed shrilly again.

Frynda froze, rendered utterly speechless by Glinda's sudden confession. "W-What?"

"Oh you didn't know her, the cruel bitch. She was never one to be loved, I can assure you. Instead, she was one who expected to be loved rather than to give it to others." Glinda frowned. "Like me."

Frynda shook her head and took a shaky breath. "I'm sure it was an accident—"

"Yeah, a purposeful accident," Glinda muttered. "A regime change, caused by a rather expected twister of fate."

"—and it's in the _past_ now," Frynda continued, pretending not to have heard Glinda's sarcastic utterance. "I'm sure Elphaba got over her mourning…I mean, she's with you."

"That's because she doesn't _know _I killed her sister."

"Well, that is to be expected," Frynda said. "I'm sure you just don't go to Elphaba saying, 'Good morning! Hey, guess what? I killed your sister.'"

Glinda couldn't help but give a little smile at Frynda's attempt at humor.

"There it is," Frynda said, pointing to Glinda's mouth. "There's that beautiful smile. I thought it was gone forever with all this trash you're telling me."

"It's not—"

"Shh," Frynda said, silencing the blonde before she could say anything else. "I know this means a lot to you and Elphaba, but let's put it away for now and focus on more important things, like…clothes?"

Glinda then looked at her almost naked self and chuckled. "Sweet Oz, I need some clothes."

"Here," Frynda said, offered her the clothes she had picked out earlier. "I got these for you a little earlier, but back then you looked at them like you half-expected them to come alive and eat you."

That got another chuckle and a smile from the blonde.

"You know what, Frynda? You sure know how to lighten a mood," Glinda chuckled and took the clothes.

"Just doing my job. Way better from the atmosphere you created earlier, trust me."

"Talk about hot and steamy," Glinda giggled. She then hugged Frynda, causing the girl to give a gasp of surprise. "I'm so sorry I had to put you through that. I'm just…hurt by Elphaba. I didn't know how else to react."

Frynda just patted her back, listening.

"I suppose this is the way she is. She…comes and goes. And who am I to stop her? I just hope she'll come back to me."

"She will," Frynda said. "She loves you way too much."

"And they said she wasn't capable of loving anyone," Glinda chuckled, shaking her head.

Frynda wasn't too sure who 'they' were, but she figured it was the Ozians back in Glinda's homeland. She gave Glinda a last, gentle squeeze and let her go.

"I will leave you here to change."

Glinda was about to open her mouth to protest but Frynda placed a finger on her mouth to stop her from saying anything.

"I will come back for you, don't worry. And I will stay with you until Elphaba comes back."

Glinda smiled up at her, the tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. "Thank you."

She got on her tiptoes and kissed Frynda's cheek, giggling at the flush that quickly appeared on the red girl's face.

"Frynda, someday you will find someone who will love you more than I ever could. And sweet Oz, I hope it's soon."

Frynda gave her a smile and patted her hand. Soundlessly she left the room and started to make her way downstairs when a flash of brown caught her eye.

Kora was waiting for her downstairs, her violet eyes looking up at Frynda expectantly.

The red girl smiled to herself.

_Soon._


End file.
